Audacious Indian jailbreak saga ends with 17 prisoners recaptured

A fake medical emergency, an audacious jailbreak and a 36-hour search operation that ended with 17 prisoners being recaptured.Those are the highlights of a story from India's Tamil Nadu state that has captured headlines across the country.It began on Monday night after 17 men escaped from a prison in Theni district in the southern state after overpowering guards, and ended almost two days later with police catching them in batches.The incident has drawn attention to overcrowding in Indian prisons. Police say the Theni prison was housing 334 inmates against a capacity of 200, leaving authorities unable to maintain control once chaos broke out.The state police said it has suspended nine staff at the prison for alleged negligence in connection with the incident.All the men who escaped were undertrials - inmates on trial or awaiting one - and 18 of them were in one cell at the prison in Thekkampatti in Theni. On Monday night at 2230 local time (17:00 GMT), one of the prisoners acted like he was going through a seizure. The other cellmates shouted for help and a jail official responded. He was soon overpowered by the prisoners, police said.The prisoners then got out of the cell, reporte...