An Escape That Began With a Feigned Epileptic Fit Had Ended, for Most, Within a Day of Leaving Through the Main Gate.
The undertrials were facing serious charges, including attempt to murder and drug-related offences.
Inmates in one block claimed that one of the prisoners was having a seizure, according to preliminary details. Bidari told NDTV that intensive combing operations were underway in the forested area. “We are confident we will secure all of them,” he said.
I thought it was only those released on bail who went unmonitored; it turns out this administration is so incompetent that it even lets prisoners escape from within the jails,” Stalin posted. On Tuesday, Stalin criticised the state government over the Theni jailbreak, which took place on Monday. It came just days after two prisoners escaped from Puzhal Prison on the outskirts of Chennai, putting the state’s prison administration under renewed scrutiny. “Following Breaking Bad, a prison break has now begun in Tamil Nadu! The Home Department comes directly under Chief Minister Vijay. “Criminals on the outside commit offences with total freedom, while those on the inside boldly break out. In short, this is a completely useless, ‘good-for-nothing’ administration. They are not going to protect the people; Tamil Nadu has reached a pathetic state where the public is left to fend for and protect themselves.
“It is said that this is the first time since 1995 that such a large number of prisoners have escaped at once. It is unacceptable for this to happen in 2026, a time when security arrangements and surveillance systems should be advanced,” he added.
He called it the most daring jailbreak since 1995 and described the Vijay government as “good for nothing”. AIADMK MP R Inbadurai described the escape as a “shocking manifestation of administrative failure and sheer incompetence”. Calling it a “colossal security lapse”, he demanded accountability and said the situation warranted “nothing less than placing the administration under suspended animation”.
