THENI: Police arrested two more prisoners, Regin and Ponmuthu Selvam, who escaped from the Thekkampatti prison in Theni district on Monday night after allegedly attacking prison guards on duty.
Of the 17 prisoners who escaped, five were apprehended on Tuesday morning, followed by eight more later in the day. With the latest arrests, the number of escapees caught has risen to 15, while two remain at large.
Meanwhile, police took the two newly arrested prisoners to the hilly terrain to identify the route they took after escaping from the prison and the places where they had taken shelter.
More than 300 police personnel, including special teams and crime branch personnel, are involved in the search operation to nab the remaining two escapees. Three drones are being used to monitor the hilly terrain.
Police are questioning the arrested prisoners at the spot and using the information provided by them to trace the whereabouts of the remaining fugitives.