Theni / Chennai : A major security lapse at Theni sub-jail in Tamil Nadu has led to 13 undertrial prisoners remaining at large after 17 escaped by faking an epileptic seizure, sparking a fierce political debate over the ruling TVK government's handling of law and order.
17 undertrials escape from Theni sub-jail, 4 recaptured
Thirteen undertrial prisoners remain at large after 17 escaped from Theni sub-jail by faking an epileptic seizure and overpowering guards.
Four escapees -- Praveen Kumar, Silambarasan, Raja Sikandar, and Rajkumar -- have been recaptured, and a massive multi-district manhunt is underway for the others.
The incident has triggered a sharp political row, with AIADMK and BJP criticising the TVK government and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over the state's law and order situation and alleged security failures.
Opposition leaders highlighted the ease with which the prisoners escaped, calling it a 'humiliating security failure' and an 'indictment of CM Vijay's administration'.
Seventeen special teams have been formed to track the escapees, and an investigation is underway to probe the severe security lapse at the sub-jail facility.
A fifth prisoner, among the 17 inmates who staged a jailbreak in Theni, was nabbed by an alert police head constable while attempting to flee in an auto, the police said on Tuesday.
The escapee had hitched a ride on an auto-rickshaw at a distance away from the Thekkampatti sub-jail in the district, with the unsuspecting auto driver agreeing to drop him at Kanavilakku.
En route, the driver picked up a woman passenger and was proceeding to the destination when a police head constable riding a two-wheeler intercepted the auto, identified the fugitive and asked the driver to take the "passenger" straight to the prison.
As many as 17 undertrial prisoners overpowered guards and escaped from the Thekkampatti sub-jail near Andipatti in this district late Monday night, triggering a massive interstate manhunt and immediate suspension of nine prison officials for gross negligence. Four of them were later recaptured.
Following the arrest of the fifth prisoner, identified as Lingeswaran, 12 fugitives remain at large.
According to police sources, Lingeswaran was spotted attempting to slip past the security perimeter established near the prison complex. He boarded an auto-rickshaw near a local college, where a woman also boarded the vehicle.
However, his bid for freedom was cut short when a police officer on a two-wheeler spotted the auto-rickshaw near a medical shop along the route and signalled the vehicle to pull over immediately.
The policeman quickly identified Lingeswaran, took him into custody without resistance, and escorted him back to the prison.
Later, speaking to reporters, the auto-rickshaw driver recounted the unexpected interception, emphasising that he was merely carrying out his routine daily duties.
"I picked up the young man and a woman near the college. He asked me to take him to Kanavilakku," the driver explained.
"During the trip, he sat next to me and was constantly on his phone, talking to someone about transferring money through an ATM or mobile account. He didn't speak to me directly at all," the driver stated and added that he was entirely unaware of his passenger's identity until law enforcement intervened.
"Near the medical store, a police officer on a bike stopped us. The officer asked the female passenger to step out, took charge of the young man, and asked me to drive straight to the prison. It was only when the police stopped us that I realised he was an escaped inmate," the driver said
The incident has triggered a sharp political row in the state, with the opposition parties targeting the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, calling the jailbreak a humiliating security failure and criticising Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over the state's law and order situation.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the news that 17 prisoners have escaped from Theni district jail is 'shocking'.
"The law department has already become a laughing stock due to the corruption in the appointment of lawyers and court cases against the government. The electricity department is mired in a power purchase scam and frequent outages. Now the prisons department has joined the list. The highlight of this is that one minister is handling all three departments," Palaniswami said in a statement.
"The whole town is laughing at the administrative qualities of Minister R Nirmal Kumar," Palaniswami said, taking a swipe at the minister and recalled that two prisoners escaped from the Puzhal Jail in Chennai.
"It seems that this government and the minister do not have time for all that," he remarked.
Flaying CM Vijay on the law and order situation, Palaniswami said when the prison itself is not safe, with the prisoners attacking guards to escape, how can the common man be safe on the roads under this regime? Increasing murders, crimes against women, drug trafficking allegedly with the involvement of some TVK functionaries, children who continue to disappear, prisoners escaping from prison -- described the prevailing situation under the TVK rule, he said, and urged the government to nab the escaped prisoners and put them back in prison, besides pay proper attention to law and order in Tamil Nadu.
BJP Criticises Government Incompetence. BJP chief spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said, "The Theni jailbreak is a humiliating failure of the TVK government and a direct indictment of CM Vijay's administration.
Seventeen undertrial prisoners escaped from the Theni sub-jail on the night of 26–27 October 2026 after the most basic of ruses.
"All were held in one cell. While one faked a seizure, the rest waited. Staff opened the door and were attacked as the inmates walked out, while Grade II personnel Thangapandi suffered a head injury."
This was not a high-risk breakout. It was a crude fraud that succeeded because prison security under the TVK government is in a state of collapse, he said on X.
Packing so many remand prisoners together, failing to verify a medical claim before opening a cell, and allowing an entire group to overpower staff and exit is nothing but the incompetence, mismanagement and maladministration of the TVK government.
"The lacklustre response by the authorities so far, routine announcements of teams and combing operations while prisoners (13) remain at large, shows an administration that treats law and order as secondary".
When undertrials can stage a fake medical emergency and simply leave a government facility, the failure sits with the concerned minister -- CTR Nirmal Kumar, Minister of Prisons and the Chief Minister who holds the relevant portfolios," he said.
The injured staff must be protected and supported. The remaining fugitives must be recaptured immediately. More critically, the officers whose negligence made this possible must face consequences, and the TVK government must explain how a sub-jail could be breached so easily months after it took charge. Photo-op inspections and empty assurances by the concerned minister will not suffice.
Until the TVK government demonstrates basic competence in its duty, this jailbreak will stand as clear evidence of its failure on law and order, the BJP leader said.
