Thrissur (Kerala) | A remand prisoner from Tamil Nadu escaped from police custody while being transported back to Viyyur central jail here, police said on Tuesday.

The escaped prisoner was identified as Balamurugan, son of Madaswamy, who was involved in various criminal cases in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

According to central prisoner authorities here, the incident took place on Monday night when the Tamil Nadu police were escorting him back to the jail here after attending a court hearing in the neighbouring state in connection with a case.

"The incident had not happened inside the prison but some one and a half kilometres away from the jail premises. Tamil Nadu police personnel were escorting him," a jail official said.

Balamurugan was a notorious criminal and an accused in at least 16 cases in Tamil Nadu alone, he added.

An intense search is on to catch the fugitive, police added.