Chennai, Oct 22 Two Puzhal Central Prison inmates – a POCSO convict and a Nepali national – who escaped from the jail in separate incidents earlier this week have been successfully recaptured by special police teams, an official said on Thursday.
Following the escape, Director General of Police (Prisons) Sandeep Rai Rathore inspected the facility, and seven prison personnel were suspended for negligence, police said.
In the first incident, Sudeep Bogati (21), a Nepali national, who was residing at Yesunathar Street, Padi Kalaignar Nagar, Chennai, managed to escape from the high-security jail here on Tuesday. He had been working at a private firm and was arrested in a theft case on August 16 and lodged in the prison.
Police investigation revealed how Sudeep pulled off the escape. He scaled the prison wall by gripping cables embedded in the wall for solar power generation. After jumping down to the outside, he sustained minor injuries from the fall and lay unconscious near the spot for a brief period before fleeing, the official said.
In the second incident occurred on Wednesday, Suresh (41) of Thirumangalam here, who was serving a sentence in the prison, escaped while working at the prison canteen located inside the Puzhal jail complex.
Suresh was arrested in 2021 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Based on his good conduct over the years, he had been assigned daily duties at the prison bazaar located outside the main jail premises. He reportedly escaped around 7 am when the guards were distracted, the official added.
Special police teams formed to track down the fugitives launched intensive searches. Accordingly, one team operating on a lead located the Nepalese national at a tea stall in Thirumangalam and apprehended him on Thursday morning, the police official said.
Meanwhile, the other special team tracked down and arrested Suresh in Kundrathur.
Following interrogation, both individuals were lodged again in the Puzhal prison.
Prison DGP Rathore visited the Puzhal prison on Thursday and conducted an on-site inquiry into the security lapses and instructed officials to step up prisoner security measures across the complex.
Based on an internal departmental inquiry into the security failures, seven prison staff – Assistant Jailer Jyothiraman, Head Warder Alex Krishnaraj, First-Grade Warders Gunasekar and Rajesh Kannan, Chief Warder Kannadasan, First-Grade Warder M R Mani, and Second-Grade Warder Prakash – were placed under suspension for negligence and dereliction of duty, police said.
(PTI News)
