Amputee rape-murder convict, who escaped Kerala prison, caught after 10hrs
What's the story
A notorious rape and murder convict, Govindachamy, escaped from the high-security Kannur Central Jail in Kerala early Friday morning. The incident came to light around 5:00am during a routine cell inspection, when a long cloth rope was found hanging from the over 25-foot-tall jail wall. Despite his physical disability of having only one arm, Govindachamy managed to scale the wall, which reportedly had an electric fence, though there were suspicions of a power cut at the time of the escape.
Swift recapture
Manhunt launched to find convict
The Kerala Police launched a swift manhunt and managed to recapture Govindachamy within 10 hours of his escape. Police were able to locate him after local locals reported seeing a man matching Govindachamy's description, which led to his recapture. He was found hiding in an abandoned building near Kannur and tried to jump into a nearby well.
Case
Soumya rape and murder case
Soumya, a 23-year-old woman from Manjakkad near Shornur, was raped and murdered by Govindachamy while traveling alone on a passenger train from Ernakulam to Shoranur on February 1, 2011. Govindachamy had attempted to rob her on the train and brutally attacked her before throwing her out of the train. He then jumped off himself and raped her in nearby woods.
Criminal past
Conviction in Soumya's rape, murder case
In October 2011, a Thrissur fast-track court convicted him of rape and murder and awarded him the death penalty. The Kerala High Court upheld the sentence, but the Supreme Court commuted it to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court had ruled that the evidence to prove that the woman had been pushed off the train was inconclusive. Govindachamy has been imprisoned in Kannur Central Jail ever since.