2011 Soumya rape case: Convict Govindachamy breaks out of Kannur jail and is apprehended following a protracted manhunt

According to news agency PTI, Govindachamy, a prisoner serving a life sentence in the 2011 Soumya murder case, broke out of Kerala’s high-security Kannur Central Jail on Friday.

But after a few hours, the cops apprehended the inmate—who is left-handed—near a dilapidated structure in the Thalap neighborhood.

Police said they discovered his abduction early Friday morning when they inspected his cell.

To find him, a massive manhunt was started, according to ANI. At the Kannur Central Jail, the police had also sent out a K-9 team to look for the suspect.

A huge manhunt was started to find him, according to ANI. To find the culprit, the police also sent out a K-9 unit to the Kannur Central Jail.

Kannur SP According to jail CCTV evidence, Govindachamy escaped between 4.15 and 6.30 in the morning, according to Nidhinraj P. He used a rope made of clothing to jump the wall of the compound.

What is the situation?

For the rape and killing of 23-year-old Soumya on February 1, 2011, while she was traveling from Ernakulam to Shoranur on a passenger train, Govindachamy was serving a life sentence.

On the Ernakulam-Shoranur passenger train, Soumya, who worked at a Kochi retail mall, was assaulted and thrown off by Govindachamy while she was in a ladies’ coach.

At Vallathol Nagar, Govindachamy also leaped from the train and brought the wounded woman to a wooded area next to the track, where he sexually assaulted her. On February 6 of that year, she was discovered on tracks and passed away from her wounds at the Government Medical College Hospital in Thrissur.

Also Read | Kerala’s curative plea in the Soumya rape case is rejected by the Supreme Court

In 2012, a fast-track court found the accused guilty of a recurring crime and sentenced him to death, citing the violent rape as a contributing factor in the victim’s demise. The court declared that society was shocked by the savage nature of the crime.

Following the dismissal of the murder charge against Govindachamy, the Supreme Court commuted his death sentence in 2016. However, the life sentence for raping the 23-year-old sales agent in Kerala was maintained by the top court.

“The entire world is observing.”

According to PTI, Soumya’s mother questioned how the prisoner got out and said that assistance was necessary for the escape.

She also told reporters that Govindachamy was imprisoned after considerable effort from her side including approaching the Supreme Court. “No mother should undergo the pain I have,” she said, according to PTI.

She also informed reporters that Govindachamy was imprisoned following a lot of work on her part, including a Supreme Court appeal. She reportedly stated, “No mother should endure the suffering I have,” according to PTI.