After Theni jailbreak, prison guards manning district jail watchtowers in Tamil Nadu authorised to open fire

CHENNAI All watchtowers in district jails across Tamil Nadu will now have armed prisoners warders, who have been authorised to open fire when under attack or to prevent a jailbreak, Director General of Police, Prisons, Sandeep Rai Rathore, has said. The decision comes on the heels of 17 remand prisoners escaping from the Theni district jail on Friday after overpowering the prison staff.

17 prisoners escape from Theni district jail in Tamil Nadu shorts 1 While 15 of them have been recaptured by the Tamil Nadu police, special teams are continuing combining operations in and around Theni district and forest areas abutting Keralam to apprehend the two other fugitives, police sources said. Theni jailbreak: Two more prisoners secured; two still at large Theni jailbreak: Two more prisoners secured; two still at large On Monday night (October 26), 17 remand prisoners, who were detained in a cell, escaped after telling the jail warder that one of the inmates was suffering from epilepsy Theni jailbreak: Two more prisoners secured; two still at large storyline 1 Though all prisons have watchtowers, they were previously not manned by armed guards due to a shortage of manpower or other reasons.

Following the sensational jailbreak on FridayMonday (October 26, 2026) night, the Dr. Rathore held a review meeting with top prison officials and decided to deploy armed prison wardens at watchtowers. “The prison wardens manning watch towers are authorised to open fire when under attack or when a jailbreak incident occurs,” Dr. Rathore said. Fifteen of the 17 escapees were recaptured; two others were still on the run.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that they were seen escaping on a motorcycle. “They would not have gone too far. We will be able to nab them in a day or two,” he said. Theni jailbreak: Palaniswami, Dhinakaran criticise TVK-led Tamil Nadu government Theni jailbreak: Palaniswami, Dhinakaran criticise TVK-led Tamil Nadu government Theni jailbreak: Stalin, Palaniswami criticise TVK-led Tamil Nadu government storyline 1 Security audit Dr.

Rathore said the process of conducting security audit and gap analysis in all central prisons and district jails was nearing completion. “We will plug all gaps and strengthen the multilayer security barriers. The report and recommendations of the jailbreak incident in Theni will also be carefully analysed for lapses and complacency, if any.” AI-powered dashboard Dr. Rathore said a technical team was working on developing an artificial intelligence-powered dashboard containing live data comprising the number of inmates with details of their gender, criminal antecedent, status of incarceration, educational qualification, and health condition, etc.

Take action against negligent prison officials: Anbumani Take action against negligent prison officials: Anbumani Scenes of prisoners escaping from jail, which were previously seen only in films, are now becoming a reality, says PMK leader Take action against negligent prison officials: Anbumani storyline 1 The dashboard would also have information about the prison staff on duty and even enable access to surveillance cameras installed on the prison campuses for live visuals.

Segregation of prisoners The DGP, Prisons, said that priority would be given to segregation of prisoners so that first-time offenders do not mingle with hardened criminals. Members of a gang that indulged in any crime should not be housed in the same cell or ward. Theni jailbreak: Human error led to escape of prisoners, says DGP-Prisons Sandeep Rai Rathore; nine guards suspended Theni jailbreak: Human error led to escape of prisoners, says DGP-Prisons Sandeep Rai Rathore; nine guards suspended Security audit of all prisons had been ordered after the escape of a prisoner in Puzhal recently Theni jailbreak: Human error led to escape of prisoners, says DGP-Prisons Sandeep Rai Rathore; nine guards suspended storyline 1 “In the Theni jailbreak incident, five prisoners who were part of a sensational crime in the Vikramangalam police station limits in Madurai district were lodged in the same ward.

They played a key role in conspiring the escape plan,” Dr. Rathore said.