Rape-murder convict Govindachamy caught hours after escape from Kannur Central Jail

Rape-murder convict Govindachamy caught hours after escape from Kannur Central Jail

Mangalore Today News Network

Kannur, July 25, 2025: Govindachamy, a convict serving a life sentence for rape and previously sentenced to death for murder, was apprehended around 10:40 am on Friday—just hours after escaping from the high-security Kannur Central Prison.

The dramatic escape took place around 1:15 am, and officials only discovered it nearly four hours later when a makeshift rope made from prisoners’ clothes was spotted dangling from the prison wall. Upon checking the cells, authorities confirmed that Govindachamy had escaped by cutting through the iron bars and scaling the 7.5-metre-high compound wall—reportedly topped with an electric fence.

He was eventually found hiding in a well in a vacant, thicket-covered plot in Kannur’s Thalappu area. A local resident, who was assisting police in the search, informed the media of the discovery. Police have since taken him into custody and are questioning him.

The escape sparked a massive search operation across Kerala, with police scanning railway stations, bus depots, and analyzing CCTV footage. Alerts were also sent to law enforcement in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The quick response by alert citizens, who had been tracking the incident through media reports, played a key role in his capture.

Govindachamy, also known as Charles Thomas, is a one-armed habitual offender from Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu. He was convicted for the 2011 rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman, who he attacked on the Ernakulam-Shoranur passenger train. The woman died on February 6, 2011, after he allegedly pushed her out of the train and raped her.

In November 2011, a fast-track court in Thrissur awarded him the death sentence, which was upheld by the High Court. However, in 2016, the Supreme Court overturned the murder conviction due to lack of evidence and commuted his sentence to life imprisonment for rape.

Following the escape, serious questions have been raised about security lapses at the prison. Jail officials reportedly launched the search nearly six hours after the escape. It remains unclear how Govindachamy managed to collect enough clothing to make the rope, evade detection in the high-security block, and scale an electrified wall.

There are also unconfirmed reports that the electric fence may have been turned off, leading to suspicions of internal collusion. BJP state president K. Surendran alleged that the electricity to the wall was deliberately cut to aid the escape.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the incident. Meanwhile, the victim’s mother, speaking to Manorama News, alleged police involvement in the escape and demanded strict action. She criticized the leniency shown toward a repeat offender and called for the death penalty to be reinstated.

The Soumya Murder Case

The crime dates back to February 1, 2011. Soumya, a 23-year-old sales assistant working at a shopping mall in Kochi, was travelling alone in the ladies’ compartment of a train from Ernakulam to Shoranur.

During the journey, Govindachamy entered her coach, attacked her and pushed her out of the moving train near Vallathol Nagar station.

What followed was even more horrifying. Govindachamy jumped off the train, found the injured woman lying on the tracks, and raped her near another railway line. After the assault, he fled the scene after stealing her mobile phone and cash from her purse.

 The woman succumbed to injuries two days later, on February 6, 2011.Govindachamy was arrested in Palakkad on February 4.

In 2012, a fast-track court handed him the death penalty, describing him as a habitual offender.But the legal battle did not end there. In 2016, the Supreme Court set aside the murder conviction, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that the injuries leading to Soumya’s death were caused by Govindachamy pushing her from the train.