CHENNAI: For the first time since the establishment of Puzhal central prison in 2006, a female inmate has managed to escape from the high-security facility. A Jayanthi (32) from Bengaluru, escaped on Wednesday afternoon when she was sent to clean the visitors room, accompanied by two wardens. Following her escape, the two wardens have been suspended.
Police said, Jayanthi had been imprisoned for a series of thefts in 2021, adding that special teams have been formed to nab her. In 2017, a prisoner serving a life term had escaped from Puzhal prison to meet his nine-year-old daughter, and Jayanthi is the only other person to have escaped in the meantime.
Jayanthi had been arrested by Thoraipakkam police and sent to Puzhal prison in October this year, police said. “On Wednesday afternoon, Jayanthi was escorted by two wardens for cleaning the visitors room within the prison complex. It was around 5 pm when the wardens found that Jayanthi had escaped. Even after 4-5 hours of searching, she could not be found,” a prisons department official said.
“Special teams have been formed to trace and arrest Jayanthi. The two wardens who accompanied her, Kanagalakshmi (grade I) and Kokila (grade II) have been placed under suspension,” the official said.