Tamil Nadu: 24-year-old chain snatching accused escapes from Tirupur district jail during power outage

A 24-year-old inmate, accused in a chain snatching case, escaped from Tirupur district jail during a power outage. Four prison officials were suspended, and a special team was formed to recapture him.

Coimbatore: A daring escape took place at the Tirupur district jail on Saturday, when 24-year-old Surya, a chain snatching case accused, broke free from custody. The incident occurred during a power outage, which disabled the CCTV cameras, allowing Surya to slip away unnoticed.

After being informed, Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) Shanmugasundaram visited the jail on Sunday and launched an inquiry into the incident and found lapses in the prison authorities' duties. Consequently, two assistant jailors, one chief head warder, and two grade-II jail warders were placed under suspension on Monday.

"He found that a section of prison authorities was lethargic in their duties. So, he placed two assistant jailors, one chief head warder and two grade-II warders under suspension on Monday," an official source said.

A special team has been formed by the prison authorities to recapture Surya, a native of Bharathi Nagar at Kovilpatti in Thoothukudi district. The Tirupur city police have also constituted a team to track down the escaped inmate.

Surya was arrested by the Nallur police last month in connection with a chain snatching case and was remanded in judicial custody. On Saturday evening, during the routine headcount, prison authorities discovered Surya was missing. A search was launched, but he was nowhere to be found.

The Tirupur North police have registered a case against Surya, and further investigation is underway.