Two of the prisoners were, however, re-arrested this afternoon.
The prisoners -Selvam and Satish of Salem, Syed Ibrahim of Dharapuram and Komal Tirki of Orissa-- lodged in the Porsel school attached to the sub-jail, 40 kms from here, escaped at 2 AM through a manhole in the bathroom, jail sources said.
Within hours of their escape, Komal and Satish were nabbed at Namakkal, some 180 kms from here, when they were travelling in a lorry, they said.
While Selvam, Satish and Syed Ibrahim were facing cases of theft, Komal was an accused in a murder case, they said.
Three jail wardens have been placed under suspension for negligence of duty, jail sources said.
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