Seventeen undertrial prisoners who escaped from the district jail at Thekkampatti in Andipatti taluk, Theni district, have all been traced and taken into custody, police said.
The jail housed about 334 inmates, including undertrials from Madurai, Theni, Dindigul and Kanniyakumari districts. Officials said 92 prisoners were lodged in the third block.
According to the report, around 10 pm on October 26, an inmate identified as Muthu Ilangovan (23) allegedly pretended to have a seizure. When warders rushed in, a group of 17 prisoners attacked warders Madanmohan, Stalin Prabhu and Thanga Pandi and fled.
A special team was formed to track the escapees. While 15 were initially caught, the remaining four were later traced: Regin from Kanniyakumari and Pon Muthu Selvam from Madurai were arrested in the Amachiyapuram hill region and brought to a police station, while two others surrendered at the Cumbum police station.
