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.