Theni jailbreak: 17 recaptured inmates to be transferred to high-security central prisons

Final two fugitives caught on Wednesday; authorities plan transfers to central prisons across Tamil Nadu after legal formalities.

PTI, Oct 29, 2026, Chennai: A day after securing all 17 inmates who broke out of the Theni district prison, authorities have initiated steps to transfer the recaptured convicts to high-security correctional facilities across Tamil Nadu, police said on Thursday.

The extensive operation concluded after the final two fugitives, Tirupathi and Meenakshisundaram, were captured on Wednesday.

According to police, after fleeing from the Aranjanaipudur area on a motorcycle towards Uthamapalayam, the escapees borrowed a stranger's phone in Ammachipuram to contact their associates, who provided them with funds, clothing and vehicles.

The intensive search mobilised 17 specialised teams, five Special Task Force units and four Tamil Nadu Special Police battalions, deploying specialised drones during daylight hours to scan the dense canopy and pinpoint suspects' locations, police added.

Legal proceedings are moving swiftly as the judicial system processes the captured individuals.

Five escapees were produced before a judicial magistrate on Tuesday evening and remanded to judicial custody until November 10, while another group of eight appeared on Wednesday, with their custody extended through November 11.

The remaining prisoners captured on Wednesday are scheduled for court appearances on Thursday.

Once all legal formalities conclude, authorities will relocate the inmates from local lock-ups to central prisons in Salem, Vellore, Cuddalore and Puzhal.

Meanwhile, Theni SP Praveen Gowtham stated that preventing the escapees from crossing the state borders remained their top priority, though investigations continue to probe the exact motives and masterminds behind the breakout.

On Monday night (around 10 pm), the inmates had orchestrated the jailbreak by staging a fake medical emergency, pretending that one of them was suffering an epileptic seizure.

When a guard entered their cell to assist, the prisoners overpowered and assaulted him. They subsequently seized the main gate keys, opened the entrance and fled into nearby forested areas.