Kannur (Kerala) | Govindachamy, a convict serving a life sentence in the sensational 2011 Soumya murder case, escaped from the high-security Kannur Central Jail, police said on Friday.
The disappearance came to light during an inspection of his cell in the early hours of Friday, they said.
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.
He 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.
Soumya's mother, speaking to reporters, questioned how the convict escaped the prison and claimed it could not have happened without any help.
She expressed confidence that Govindachamy will be caught soon, as the "whole world is watching news about his escape".
She also said that he was imprisoned after considerable effort from her side including approaching the Supreme Court.
"No mother should undergo the pain I have," she added.
Meanwhile, several locals of Kannur town claimed to have seen Govindachamy within the city.
After his absence from his cell was revealed, 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 is underway. Kannur Town Police said they were informed about the jailbreak at 7 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.
