Govindachamy's escape only latest incident; 12 people yet to be caught; 30 prison breaks including women in three years

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Around 30 people have escaped from jails in Kerala in the last three years. Most made their escape from the district and sub-jails. There are also those who have escaped from the high-security central jails. Most of them have escaped while being taken for treatment or from places where they were assigned to work. 12 people are yet to be caught. Prison escapes are often carried out with the help of officials and outsiders.

There are also those who escape from prison after following good conduct in prison and gaining the trust of the staff. The notorious convict Ripper Jayanandan, who was sentenced to death, escaped from Kannur in June 2010 and from Poojappura in June 2013, taking advantage of the security loopholes in central prisons. Along with fellow inmate Prakash, alias 'Ooppa' Prakash, Jayanandan escaped by tying Mundus together and using the stakes that supported the banana trees grown in the Poojappura prison premises. Both were later caught.

After this, the height of the central jail wall was increased to 22 feet. A three-foot-high electric fence was also installed above it. Last August, a prisoner escaped from Poojappura Central Jail. Manikandan, a native of Idukki, who is serving a life sentence, escaped from the prison while working in the chapathi unit. Of the 17 who escaped during the Covid period, five have not been caught.

Prisoners are employed for construction work in the prison. The production units are located outside the prison walls in Poojappura. Prisoners earn the trust of the employees to get the job done here. Those who follow good conduct and gain excessive freedom escape from prison when they get the chance.

Women who escaped from prison

The first women to escape from prison in the state are Shilpa, a native of Oonnampara, Palode, and Sandhya, a native of Varkala. Both were undertrial prisoners at the Attakkulangara Women's Prison in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city. To make a ladder with steps, they tied a wet cloth to the iron rod kept behind the prison to stir the waste in the biogas plant. Using this, the two escaped by climbing over the wall and jumping to a nearby building. They were caught two days later.