Kannur: In a dramatic turn of events, Govindachamy, the notorious convict in the 2011 Soumya rape and murder case, who had escaped from the high-security Kannur Central Jail in the early hours of Friday, has been apprehended. He was located and caught from a well near an abandoned building in the Thazhappu area of Kannur.
The daring jailbreak came to light around 5:00 AM when jail authorities noticed his absence from his cell in the 10th block, a high-security section of the prison. CCTV footage later revealed that Govindachamy, despite having only one hand, had managed to cut through iron bars and scale the prison wall using a makeshift rope made of clothes, around 1:15 AM. Reports suggest he might have received outside assistance in his escape.
Following the discovery of the escape, an immediate internal search was launched within the jail premises. When this proved unsuccessful, the Kannur Town Police were alerted at 7:10 AM, triggering a widespread manhunt across the district. Intensive search operations were conducted at key locations including the railway station, bus stands, and other public areas.
The breakthrough came when alert local residents in Thazhappu reported spotting a man matching Govindachamy’s description, wearing a black shirt and pants. One local, Vinoj, from a private company, particularly played a crucial role by informing the police after he spotted the convict near the DCC office and later confirmed him to be hiding in a well on an abandoned property.
Police, with the help of locals, swiftly converged on the location. Govindachamy reportedly attempted to evade capture by jumping into the well, but he was successfully pulled out by the police. He was then taken to the Kannur town police station.
The escape of a high-profile convict from a supposedly high-security prison has raised serious questions about jail management and security protocols. In the wake of the incident, the Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services department has reportedly suspended four jail officials, including the head warden and three night-time custodians, on charges of grave security lapses and dereliction of duty.
Soumya’s mother, reacting to the escape, expressed her concerns about how such a convicted criminal could break out without any internal help and reiterated her long fight for justice, emphasizing that no other mother should endure such pain.
Govindachamy was serving a life sentence for the rape of Soumya, a 23-year-old woman who was brutally attacked on February 1, 2011, after being pushed out of a moving train. While the Supreme Court had commuted his death sentence for murder, it upheld the life imprisonment for rape.
