Vellore jail inmate escapes, caught in Bargur

Remand prisoner Sahadevan (42) of Melakandili village near Vaniyambadi who escaped from the Vellore central prison on Thursday was caught by a special team lead by Tirupatthur DSP at Bargur on the same day.

Sahadevan, a tailor by profession, was arrested for murdering Pattammal (70) over a land dispute. He had pushed her into a well and she had drowned. He was arrested by the Kandili police and lodged in Vellore prison. 

However, the escape has raised more questions. Jail officials were shocked when they noticed a dhoti dangling from the 15 feet high compound wall at 6. 30 pm. When they undertook a roll call of prisoners, they found Sahadevan missing. 

Immediately, an alert was sounded. One of the question raised was, ‘Is there a collusion with an insider’? But the main question was how did a tailor scale such a high wall which has electric wiring and an alarm. The walls also have guard towers at each corner and at strategic locations. 

Prisoners are locked in their cells at 6.30 pm and let out at the same time the next morning. It is suspected that Sahadevan could have hidden himself in the compound thereby avoiding being locked in his cell and then made good his escape.

Vellore range DIG Vanitha, Prison DIG Bhaskar and Vellore SP P Pagalavan all rushed to the spot and conducted enquiries. The prison is under high security as it houses six Al Umma cadres convicted in the Coimbatore bomb blasts and the four AIADMK men convicted in the Dharmapuri bus burning case which resulted in the death of three TNAU students. More importantly, it also houses former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts AG Perarivalan,  Santhan, Murugan and his wife Nalini.