Rape, murder convict escapes Kannur central jail, police nab him after massive manhunt

KANNUR (Kerala): Govindachamy, convicted in the 2011 Soumya rape and murder case, escaped from Kannur Central Jail on Friday, Kannur Town police said. The police launched a massive manhunt and later apprehended him.

According to the Kannur police commissioner, Govindachamy was hiding in a well near an abandoned building in Thalappil. He was nabbed from the house compound. The police will investigate if he got any assistance in the jailbreak, he added. The police had also deployed the K-9 squad at the Kannur Central Jail in search of the accused.

#WATCH | Kannur, Kerala | 2011 Soumya rape and murder accused Govindachamy, who had escaped from Kannur Jail, arrested https://t.co/yItvEXKj49 pic.twitter.com/fj3MzJi4aZ

— ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2025

According to the police, Govindachamy was serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of 23-year-old Soumya, who was attacked while travelling on a passenger train from Ernakulam to Shoranur on February 1, 2011.

Meanwhile, the office of the district police chief has issued a wanted notice for Govincachamy. “GOVINDA SWAMI C NO.46 (Accused in SOUMYA MURDER Case) escaped from Central Prison Kannur today (25/07/2025) morning. Anybody getting any information about the wanted criminal shall inform the following persons urgently. Identification mark: He does not have one arm”, the notice read.

Details surrounding the jailbreak are still emerging, and more information is awaited. (ANI)