Scoring 83 per cent, terror suspect is topper among prisoners

A total of 143 jail inmates wrote the exam this year, of whom 132 had managed to clear, recording 92 pass percentage. Last year, 169 inmates sat for the examination and 148 had passed.

While Panna Ismail secured top place, Sailutti, lodged in women’s prison in Coimbatore, scored 413 to bag second place, while another woman prisoner Hamsavalli, lodged in Vellore prison, came third with 403 marks.

Panna Ismail’s associate, Bilal Malik, who also appeared for the SSLC examination, also secured good marks and stood second among the inmates at Puzhal jail, sources said.

It may be recalled that the TN police along with the help of AP commandos had flushed out Panna Ismail (45), and Bilal Malik (32) from their hideout in Puttur, Andhra Pradesh, on October 5, 2013, a day after police nabbed their associate ‘Police’ Fakruddin, from Chennai.

All the three were accused of conspiring and executing several saffron killing in the state before they were nabbed.