KANNUR: A common practice among prisoners to keep reptiles away was exploited by Govindachamy to make good his escape from the high-security block of the Kannur Central Jail in the early hours of July 25, CCTV footage released from the prison has revealed.
The visuals showed Govindachamy escaping from his cell by squeezing through the bottom portion of the gate after cutting an iron bar. The daring move, carried out under the cover of night, once again highlights how meticulously he plotted his escape.
The prison gate, with iron bars, extends all the way to the floor. At its base, inmates typically wrap strings or place wooden sheets to prevent reptiles and other creatures from entering their cells.
Govindachamy exploited this practice to hide the portion of one of the bars which he had sawed at night using a blade. As added precaution, he wrapped cloth around the blade to muffle the sound. A police source said the prison often sees reptiles and other creatures entering the cells, as the doors are made entirely of iron bars.
However, despite all his planning, Govindachamy’s prison break was not as successful as he had hoped. He managed to break out of his cell at the 10th block around 1.15am, but lack of knowledge about the escape route and the challenge of scaling two separate walls slowed him down. It wasn’t almost until 4:30am that he finally made it out.
A source said Govindachamy was unfamiliar with the layout of the prison, which left him confused. He had to scale two walls — the first relatively low, but the second much taller — to reach outside. He is believed to have spent nearly three hours inside the prison, figuring out the escape route. By the time he finally reached the last gate, it was already morning.