NEWS TODAY 28.10.2026

 

Tamil Nadu jailbreak: 13 of 17 escapees caught after hunt using drones

 Tamil Nadu jailbreak: 13 of 17 escapees caught after hunt using drones 

Ahamed Ali & Ram Sundaram tnn 28.10.2026

Theni (Tamil Nadu): Less than 24 hours after 17 remand prisoners escaped from a sub-jail in Theni in the biggest jailbreak in Tamil Nadu in three decades, police captured 13 of them following an extensive manhunt involving scores of personnel and drones. Four escapees were caught during an overnight search, while another was trapped and brought back to prison by an alert auto driver. 

The rest were nabbed after being traced to a forest near the prison with the help of drones. Police have tightened surveillance along the interstate border and sought help from Keralam. DGP (prisons) Sandeep Rai Rathore attributed the escape to “human error” and a breach of security protocol. 

Nine prison staff have been suspended, while a detailed probe is under way. The incident has also exposed security lapses as the centralised siren system was not functioning when the inmates escaped. Prisons dept minister CTR Nirmalkumar said govt would ensure that all the escaped prisoners were captured. Preliminary inquiries found that five of the prisoners, accused in a murder case, had planned the escape and other inmates of their block joined them. 

Prison officials said one inmate faked an epileptic seizure. When a prison staff member came to his rescue, other inmates threw a blanket over him, assaulted him and snatched the keys. They attacked other personnel, too, before fleeing through the main entrance. One prison guard was severely injured in the attack, while two others had minor injuries. 

The first breakthrough after the escape came around 1am on Tuesday. One of the escapees, Praveen Kumar, who hid behind bushes near a watchtower outside the prison premises, was unable to move after thorns injured his feet. He returned and sat near the tower, where police apprehended him. By then, 300-odd personnel were on the nightlong search operation and split into 17 teams. 

Around 6.45 am, police caught three more inmates. One was intercepted near Velayuthapuram, while two others were found hiding near a school. “Villagers who noticed suspicious movements alerted police, helping the teams narrow their search,” said a sub inspector from the special team stationed there.

Gen med tops NEET-PG choices among first 100

Gen med tops NEET-PG choices among first 100 

28.10.2026 TIMES AHAMEDABAD 

New Delhi: General medicine accounted for more allotments than radiodiagnosis among top entries in the first round of NEET-PG 2026 counselling, highlighting the competing career attractions of the two sought-after PG specialties, reports Anuja Jaiswal. 

An analysis of Medical Counselling Committee’s Round 1 allotment list shows 51 allotments in general medicine as against 28 in radiodiagnosis among the first 100 entries. 

Dermatology was a distant third with six allotments, while paediatrics and general surgery had three each. Doctors say the choices reflect different career priorities. Radiology attracts candidates because of its good work-life balance

TN yet to release PG medical rank list even as nat’l counselling moves ahead

TN yet to release PG medical rank list even as nat’l counselling moves ahead 

28.10.2026 TIMES CHENNAI

Chennai: The state selection committee has not yet published the provisional rank list for postgraduate medical degree and diploma admissions, although the Centre’s Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has completed the first round of all-India counselling. MCC completed Round 1 on Oct 24, and candidates have until Nov 2 to join their allotted colleges. 

States were scheduled to hold their first round between Oct 21 and Nov 2, with Nov 10 as the last date for joining. NEET PG 2026 was held on Aug 30, and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences declared the results on Sept 24. 

The state committee has published the prospectus and closed applications for PG degree and diploma courses. “We are scrutinising more than 12,000 applications. Every application is verified. The grievance portal is now open for correction and reverification. The rank list will be released once this process is complete. It will take a few days,” said selection committee secretary Dr V Lokanayaki. 

If the rank list is released on Oct 29, candidates will have a few days to lock their options on the portal, and the process will be completed by Nov 2, officials said. The delay has left candidates uncertain. Those with all-India seats must decide whether to join before they know their state rank. “In PG, there is preference for course and institution. Candidates need time to decide what they want to choose because the course decides what they will do for the rest of their lives,” said a govt doctor waiting for admission.

TN doubles minimum auto fares

TN doubles minimum auto fares

28.10.2026 THE HINDU 

Chennai: The state govt has doubled the minimum autorickshaw fare from 25 to 50 for the first 1.8km and raised the charge for every additional kilometre from 12 to 25 in Chennai and elsewhere in the state. 

The earlier fares were fixed in 2013. A gazette notification, issued by the home department on Oct 27, provides for a night fare of 1.5 times the regular fare for journeys between 10pm and 5am. Waiting charges have been fixed at 1 a minute. 

For ghat routes, the minimum fare will be 60 — 1.2 times the regular minimum fare — with a charge of 30 for every additional kilometre. The notification, signed by principal secretary A Karthik, directs the State Transport Authority and the regional transport authorities concerned to fix the revised fares for contract carriage autorickshaws. 

The order supersedes the govt’s earlier fare notifications dated Aug 25, 2013, and Oct 16, 2014. TNN

NEWS TODAY 27.10.2026

 

When they lose train of thought. And belongings

When they lose train of thought. And belongings 

27.10.2026 TIMES DELHI

New Delhi: A phone forgotten on a train seat, a pair of shoes left behind in a hurry, a lunch box abandoned in a coach or a laptop misplaced while changing trains — small oversights of railway travel are adding up to a growing stream of calls for help. 

In a rush to get on or off trains, passengers often leave behind everyday essentials, sometimes realising their mistake only after a train has departed or they have reached their destinations. Railway Protection Force (RPF), Delhi division, received 12,232 calls concerning missing objects or items left behind between Jan and May 2026, nearly 54% more than 7,922 calls during the same period last year. 

The items most commonly left behind on trains and at railway stations include mobile phone chargers, goggles, shoes, bags, earphones and laptops. 

According to an RPF officer, such incidents often occur because passengers are in a hurry or are preoccupied with managing their luggage. Those carrying several bags may find it difficult to keep track of every item, particularly while changing trains, moving between coaches or preparing to get off at their destinations. “Passengers often carry three to four pieces of luggage, and in the rush, they may leave some of their belongings on upper berths. They sometimes keep bags or other items aside while settling down for the journey and forget to pick them up while getting off a train,” the officer said.

Explaining why footwear and electronic devices are among the items passengers frequently forget, the officer said many remove their shoes and switch to slippers during their journeys, but sometimes leave the shoes behind while deboarding. Similarly, passengers who charge their mobile phones may forget to unplug their chargers from the sockets. As more people seek help, the number of items retrieved has gone up. 

RPF recovered 3,157 belongings in the first five months of this year, compared with 2,204 in the corresponding period of 2025, an increase of around 43%. In many cases, such objects are handed over to their owners. Ashutosh Pandey, senior divisional security commissioner of RPF, Delhi division, said that the force deploys staff round the clock to respond to complaints from passengers who  misplace their belongings. As soon as a complaint is received on the helpline, a staffer checks the train’s location and identifies the nearest RPF personnel who are alerted. 

The personnel then search a seat, berth or coach to see whether the missing item is still there. The force also coordinates with coach attendants, who check a compartment, particularly when a train has a long halt at a station