Kannur (Kerala), Jul 25 (PTI) Govindachamy, a convict serving a life sentence in the sensational 2011 Soumya murder case, has 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.

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Jail authorities launched an immediate search operation in and around the prison premises, but the inmate was nowhere to be found.

Police have been alerted and a manhunt is underway.

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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 in 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.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)