Kannur, 25 July

Notorious criminal Govindachamy, alias Govindaswamy, a convict serving a life sentence in the sensational 2011 Soumya murder case, escaped from the high-security Kannur Central Jail on Friday morning but was apprehended by police several hours later.

"The 41-year-old Govindachamy, who is missing his left hand, was caught from a well near a derelict building in Thalap, within Kannur city limits," said a senior district police officer.

According to visuals on TV channels, the convict was hiding inside the well near the building.

Police used a sniffer dog to look for Govindachamy following his escape from prison.

They were aided by the locals, many of whom claimed to have seen the convict in the city during the morning hours.

Based on the information provided by the people, the police combed the area and apprehended him.

According to an eyewitness named Vinoj, "Part of his palm-less hand was tucked between the clothes covering a bundle on his head. When I saw that, I became suspicious. As soon as I called out, 'hey, Govindachamy!' he ran away."

CCTV footage aired on channels showed a man resembling Govindachamy walking on the roadside with a bundle on top of his head, inside which he had tucked in his left arm, which is missing a hand.

Shortly thereafter, a police team, including the sniffer dog, reached the area and inspected a derelict building at Thalap here where the convict was suspected to be hiding.

While the police were searching for him, there was a sudden commotion and calls to "surround and catch him" -- according to live visuals aired by TV channels -- and soon he was pulled out, shirtless, from the well near the building.

After he was apprehended, Soumya's mother told TV channels that she was relieved.

"Imagine the situation if people like him break out of jail. Ever since I heard about his jailbreak, I have been concerned for every woman's life. I am grateful to those who nabbed him. I was sure he would be caught soon".

"It has to be ensured now that such an incident does not happen again. He must have had some support from inside the prison for him to be able to escape. That has to be investigated," she said.

He should have been killed the moment he was caught from outside, she contended, and demanded that he be hanged.

Earlier in the day, 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.

The officer also 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.

Later, after Govindachamy's capture, the SP said that the convict had prepared for the escape several days in advance and whether there was any help from inside the prison would be investigated.

"Some tools were recovered from him when he was caught," he added.

The officer said that the convict would be produced before a magistrate as part of the case lodged with regard to his jailbreak.

After his absence from his cell was revealed in the morning, jail authorities launched an immediate search operation in and around the prison premises, but the inmate was nowhere to be found.

Police were alerted, and a manhunt was launched.

According to the FIR lodged in connection with his escape, information about the jailbreak was communicated to the police at 7.34 am.

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 1 February 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.