Convict Govindachamy rearrested six hours after escaping from Kannur Central Jail
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Kannur: Six hours after he escaped from the high-security Kannur Central Jail, life convict Govindachamy, also known as Charley Thomas was arrested by the police near Talap in Kannur town on the morning of Friday, July 25.
Govindachamy, who was serving a life sentence for the 2011 rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in Kerala, was found hiding in the well of an abandoned house in Talap, about three kilometres from the jail. Local residents alerted the police after spotting him. Several witnesses said they recognised him from television and online reports and saw him jumping off a wall and running through the area.
The jailbreak reportedly happened between 4.15 am and 6.30 am. Police sources said he managed to slip out of the jail unnoticed and was captured on CCTV walking along a busy road, dressed in a white shirt and black pants. He was seen carrying a pile of clothes on his head, likely to hide his disabled left hand. At the time of his escape, his appearance matched the description shared by the police: a bearded man in white shirt and black trousers.
Following the escape, the police launched a widespread search across Kerala. Checks were intensified at bus terminals and railway stations, while CCTV footage was examined from various points around the jail. Additional forces were deployed in Kannur town to speed up the search. The escape triggered concern, considering the convict’s criminal background and the security setup of the jail.
Director General of Police (Prisons) Balram Kumar Upadhyay confirmed that a probe has been ordered into the incident. A Deputy Inspector General of Police has been assigned to investigate how the escape took place under such tight security.
Govindachamy was convicted in one of Kerala’s most shocking crimes in recent memory. On February 1, 2011, a 23-year-old saleswoman from Thrissur was travelling alone in the ladies’ compartment of the Ernakulam-Shoranur passenger train. Govindachamy, who was known for frequenting trains to beg, entered the compartment, attacked her, and robbed her. He then pushed her off the moving train and dragged her into a forested area near Vallathol railway station, where he raped and brutally assaulted her.
The young woman was found critically injured and unconscious, and despite medical efforts, she died five days later at the Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital.
In October 2011, a fast-track court in Thrissur sentenced Govindachamy to death for rape and murder. The Kerala High Court later upheld the verdict. However, the Supreme Court in 2016 commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment, stating that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the victim was pushed off the train.
Since then, Govindachamy had been lodged in Kannur Central Jail.
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Nightclub fire: Goa court remands Luthra brothers in police custody for five days
Panaji (PTI): A court in North Goa on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, in police custody for five days.
The brothers, brought to Goa from Delhi after being deported from Thailand in connection with the December 6 blaze that killed 25, were produced in the court after undergoing health check-ups twice at the District Hospital in North Goa.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa Puja Sardesai remanded the two brothers in police custody for five days.
Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi who lost four family members in the tragedy, said that the accused were asking for “special consideration” claiming poor health.
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“We said they should not be given any extra relaxation,” he said, adding that the court has taken cognisance of the fact that this is about the death of “25 people in the form of mass genocide”.
“But since they kept pressing for medical check-up, the court ordered reexamination of their health. It is clear in the medical examination that they don’t require any consideration. The accused sought special considerations in the lock-up like a good mattress, which the court refused,” said Joshi.
A team of the Goa Police, along with the Luthra brothers, arrived at the Manohar International Airport, Mopa, in North Goa at 10.45 am.
The duo was initially taken to a Primary Health Centre at Siolim for medical examination. They were then taken to the District Hospital at Mapusa.
After their health assessment, the two were brought to the court.
The court directed that the accused be sent for fresh medical examination. Accordingly, the two were again taken to the District Hospital.
Later, they were produced before Judge Sardesai, who ordered the five-day police custody of the accused.
After the fire tragedy at Arpora village, the Anjuna police had registered a case against the Luthra brothers on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The brothers were arrested in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand. A court there allowed the Goa Police their two-day transit remand.
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The duo had fled to Phuket in Thailand early on December 7, hours after the fire at their nightclub, prompting the authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports.
They were detained by Thai authorities at Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government, which later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations.
Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by the Goa Police in connection with the fire.
