SSIs, head constable suspended in Salem
Two Special Sub-Inspectors and a head constable in Salem, India, have been suspended following the escape of a prisoner in their custody. The prisoner, who had multiple pending criminal cases, escaped while the officers stopped on a highway during a transport operation.
Why it matters
The incident highlights issues of police negligence and security lapses in the transport of high-risk prisoners within the Indian judicial system.
Two Special Sub-Inspectors (SSI) and a head constable were placed under suspension in connection with a prisoner escaping from custody here on Wednesday (July 22, 2026).
According to the police, Naresh Kumar, a resident of Omalur in Salem district, had 14 pending cases, including murder and robbery, against him. He was lodged in Coimbatore Central Prison, and on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), the police took him to the Salem Court in connection with his escape from Salem Government Hospital while he was in treatment for COVID-19 in 2020.
The court awarded one year of imprisonment in the case. Following this, SSI Govindasamy (58) and Subramanian (59), and head constable Jagadeesan, of the Salem Government Hospital station, took Naresh to Coimbatore Prison in a van.
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