2011 Rape-Murder Convict Recaptured Hours After Escaping Kerala Prison

Govindachamy, convicted in the 2011 rape and murder of Soumya, escaped from Kannur Central Jail early Friday but was recaptured within hours. He was found hiding in a well in Talap. Police suspect the escape was pre-planned and are investigating possible inside help from jail staff.

Govindachamy, the convict in the 2011 rape and murder of 23-year-old Soumya, was arrested on Friday morning within hours of escaping from Kannur Central Jail. He had been serving a life sentence for the brutal assault and murder that shocked Kerala more than a decade ago.

The escape occurred around 4 am from the high-security 10th block of the prison. Police launched a swift manhunt after receiving the alert around 6.30 am. Authorities used city-wide CCTV footage and public inputs to track his movements. By 11 am, Govindachamy was located hiding inside a well near the National Sample Survey office in Talap.

Superintendent of Police P Nidhin Raj confirmed that the convict had been planning his escape for several days. Investigators are now looking into possible internal assistance from within the prison.

Govindachamy was convicted for the horrific crime that took place on February 1, 2011. Soumya, a young woman from Shornur, had boarded the Ernakulam–Shornur passenger train. As the train pulled out of Vallathol Nagar station, Govindachamy attacked her, smashing her head against the compartment wall before throwing her off the train. He then jumped off, found her injured by the tracks, and raped her in the nearby woods.

She was found alive but critically injured and was rushed to the Government Medical College in Thrissur, where she succumbed to her injuries on February 6. Govindachamy was arrested the following day at Palakkad railway station and later sentenced to life imprisonment.

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Friday’s attempted escape has reignited debates on prison security and the handling of high-risk convicts in the state’s correctional facilities.