Govindachamy, convict of 2011 Soumya Rape Case, who serving a life sentence has escaped from the high security Kannur Central Jail in Kerala on Friday.
However, Govindachamy, has a physical disability and does not have his left hand, reportedly scaled the compound wall using a makeshift rope made from clothes. His absence was discovered during a routine inspection between 4:15 am and 6:30 am on Friday, as revealed by CCTV footage.
While after a few hours the police nabbed from near a derelict building in the Thalap area.
Following his escape, police launched a massive manhunt, deploying a K-9 unit and teams in the surrounding areas. He was eventually apprehended near a derelict building in Thalap, just hours after his breakout.
What is the case in which Govindachamy convicted?
Govindachamy was convicted for the rape and murder of 23-year-old Soumya, a saleswoman who was attacked on February 1, 2011, while traveling in a ladies’ coach on a passenger train from Ernakulam to Shoranur. After assaulting her and pushing her off the train, he reportedly jumped down, dragged her to a nearby wooded area in Vallathol Nagar, and raped her. Soumya succumbed to her injuries at the Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital on February 6, 2011.
A fast-track court sentenced Govindachamy to death in 2012, citing the brutal nature of the crime and his history as a habitual offender. However, in 2016, the Supreme Court of India commuted the death sentence, dropping the murder charge while upholding the life imprisonment for rape.
Victim’s Family Outraged
Soumya’s mother expressed deep anguish and demanded a thorough probe, questioning how a convicted rapist could escape from a high-security facility.
“This couldn’t have happened without help,” she said, adding that the justice she fought hard to secure has once again come under threat. “No mother should undergo the pain I have,” she told reporters.
