Chennai/Theni, Fuel retail outlets operated by prison inmates across Tamil Nadu have been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure following a series of prisoner escape incidents, officials said on Monday.
search efforts continue for the Coimbatore escapee While police have apprehended the escaped prisoners from the Chennai and Theni facilities. Meenakshisundaram, a native of Madurai, and his brother Tirupathi were reportedly shot at by police during the arrest operation. In the video, Meenakshisundaram alleged that severe torture and poor quality of food inside the prison drove the inmates to escape. Appealing to the Chief Justice and the Chief Minister, he claimed his complaints to prison authorities yielded no action, prompting him to escape with the intention of surrendering directly in court. He further alleged that the police had plotted to kill him in an encounter and claimed his brother had no connection to the incident.
The closure of the petrol pumps comes in the wake of separate jailbreak incidents, including two prisoners escaping from the Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai, 17 from a facility in Theni, and one from Coimbatore. A group of 17 inmates had escaped from the district jail located at Thekkampatti near Andipatti on October 26 by attacking guards, but were nabbed by the police within 36 hours. Expressing his desire to lead a reformed life with his pregnant wife, Meenakshisundaram claimed in the video that a total of 21 prisoners had escaped, contradicting the official figure of 17 and triggering a fresh dispute. As part of enhanced security protocols, 11 retail fuel stations manned by trained prisoners round the clock in coordination with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited have been temporarily shut, said police sources.
