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Govindachamy escaped from Kannur Central Jail in the early hours of Friday, prompting a statewide manhunt. He was re-arrested later.
Govindachamy was arrested hours after he escaped from Kannur Central Jail. (Photo: ANI)
In a shocking security breach, Govindachamy, who is serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl in 2011 in Kerala, escaped from the high-security Kannur Central Jail on Friday. However, he was re-arrested hours after a manhunt was launched.
Govindachamy escaped from Kannur Central Jail in the early hours of Friday, prompting a statewide manhunt. He was reportedly found hiding in a well, where he was hanging from the rope tied to the pipe to pump the water to the building.
Kannur police said they received information of Govindachamy’s escape at around 6:30 am and the police acted immediately, nabbing him near the well of the compound of a vacant building after a few hours.
Kannur SP Nidhinraj P said that Govindachamy escaped between 4.15 am and 6.30 am as per prison CCTV footage. He jumped the compound wall using a rope made out of clothes, as reported by Hindustan Times. The jailbreak is believed to have taken place at approximately 1:15 am, when jail authorities noticed his absence only during routine inspections, raising serious questions over surveillance lapses in one of Kerala’s most secure prisons.
According to The Hindu, Govindachamy was found inside the stairs of a well behind the National Sample Survey Sub-regional Office, when an office member found him hiding inside the well. Details surrounding the jailbreak are still emerging, and more information is awaited.
Who Is Govindachamy?
Govindachamy, also known as Charley Thomas in police records, is a resident of Tamil Nadu’s Karur, who is serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl named Soumya on February 1, 2011, while travelling on a passenger train.
Soumya, an employee of a Kochi shopping mall, was travelling alone on a train from Ernakulam to Shoranur when she was attacked and pushed off the train by Govindachamy. He also jumped off the train and carried the injured woman to a secluded area, where he raped her. The victim died on February 6.
The case shocked the nation and sparked widespread debate over women’s safety on public transport. Govindachamy was given a death sentence for the savage nature of the crime, but his sentence was commuted by the Supreme Court in 2016.
Soumya’s mother questioned how the convict escaped the prison and claimed it could not have happened without any help. She also said Govindachamy was incarcerated following significant efforts on her part, including petitioning the Supreme Court. “No mother should undergo the pain I have,” she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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Kannur, India, India
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