Chennai, Oct 21:
A 23-year-old Nepali undertrial prisoner has gone missing from Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai, prompting police to launch an investigation into whether he escaped from the high-security facility.
The incident came to light on Tuesday evening when prison staff were counting inmates before locking them in their cells for the night. After finding one prisoner missing, the staff alerted their superiors and began searching the prison premises.
The missing prisoner was identified as Sudeep Pogath, a native of Nepal, who had been staying in Kalaivani Nagar in Padi, Chennai, and working there. According to the information gathered by prison authorities, he was arrested by JJ Nagar police on August 17, 2026, in connection with a theft case and subsequently lodged at Puzhal prison as an undertrial prisoner.
Prison staff conducted an intensive search throughout the night to determine whether Sudeep was hiding somewhere inside the premises or had managed to escape. However, he could not be traced. A prison warder subsequently lodged a complaint with Puzhal police, who registered a case and launched a search for the missing prisoner.
Meanwhile, prison department officials are questioning the warder and other staff members to establish how the prisoner went missing from the facility. The incident has raised concerns among police and prison authorities, given the tight security arrangements at Puzhal Central Prison.