KANPUR: Govindachamy, a convict serving a life sentence in the sensational 2011 Soumya murder case, who escaped from the high-security Kannur Central Jail on Friday morning was nabbed by police several hours later.
The convict, who does not have the left hand, was caught from near a derelict building at Thalap within the Kannur city limits, according to visuals on TV channels.
As per news reports, he was hiding inside a well near the building.
The disappearance came to light during an inspection of his cell in the early hours of Friday, police said.
Kannur SP Nidhinraj P said that the convict was wearing a black shirt and pants at the time of escape, and he had a small beard.
He said that Govindachamy escaped between 4.15 am and 6.30 am as per prison CCTV footage and jumped the compound wall using a rope made out of clothes.
Soumya’s mother, speaking to reporters, questioned how the convict escaped the prison and claimed it could not have happened without any help.
Soumya, a 23-year-old woman from Manjakkad near Shornur, was raped and murdered allegedly by Govindachamy while travelling on a passenger train from Ernakulam to Shornur on February 1, 2011.
Govindachamy was convicted of the brutal killing of Soumya, who was attacked while travelling alone on a passenger train.
The case shocked the nation and sparked widespread debate over women’s safety on public transport.