Kerala: Three prison officials suspended after convict in Soumya rape-murder case escapes from Kannur jail

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM(Kerala): Kerala’s Deputy Inspector General (DIG) (Prisons), North Zone, has suspended three officials of Kannur Central Prison for dereliction of duty in connection with the escape of Govindachamy, the convict in the 2011 Soumya rape and murder case. The suspension order, issued on Friday follows a preliminary inquiry that revealed lapses in supervision and failure to detect the jailbreak in time, according to an official statement.

A preliminary inquiry revealed lapses in supervision by Deputy Prison Officer Rajeesh AK, who was in charge at the time. Assistant Prison Officers Sanjay S and Akhil Charith, who were on block duty and in charge of the CCTV control room respectively, were also found negligent in identifying the escape in time.

All three officers have been suspended with immediate effect. They will be entitled to a subsistence allowance under KSR Rule 55 during the suspension period. The Superintendent has been directed to implement the order and submit an urgent compliance report, said the statement.

Meanwhile, Govindachamy, who was serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of 23-year-old Soumya, was nabbed this monring a few hours after he escaped from the Kannur Central Jail in Kannur town.

Police had launched a massive manhunt deploying the K-9 squad at the Kannur Central Jail in search of the accused.

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.

Earlier, the Office of the District Police Chief issued a wanted notice for Govindachamy. (ANI)