Seventeen inmates have escaped from a sub-jail in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu after calling guards to their cell with news that one of them was ill and then attacking them, it is alleged. Three guards were injured. Police have launched a special operation to catch the escaped prisoners, and four had been arrested by Tuesday morning, October 27.
The escape took place on Monday night at a sub-jail in Theni district. Police sources said the 17 had been held in the same cell. Guards went to the cell after being told one of them had fallen ill, and the inmates attacked them and fled, it is alleged.
Initial police inquiries suggest the report of illness may have been part of the escape plan. Investigators are examining whether the attack on the guards near the cell was planned in advance.
One guard suffered a serious head injury and has been admitted to a government hospital. Two other guards were also hurt, but their injuries are initially reported not to be serious.
Police began searching for the escaped inmates immediately. Seventeen special teams have been formed and an alert issued in neighbouring districts. Vehicles are being stopped and searched at 16 points in Dindigul district, and police surveillance has been stepped up on several roads.
Police in Madurai and Dindigul districts and in Idukki district of the neighbouring state of Kerala have also been alerted. Photos of the escaped inmates have been sent to police officers so they can be identified quickly.
Initial reports after the escape spoke of one arrest, but the latest information on Tuesday morning put the number at four. There is still no confirmed information on where the others have gone.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report