Break : Govindachamy, alias Charley Thomas, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman, escaped from Kannur Central Jail in the early hours of the day. .

He was housed in the high security cell of the prison. He escaped from the prison after cutting the cell's iron bars.

Police have intensified search for the prisoner after spotting him missing from his cell in the morning around 7.15 am.

Govindachamy is one of the most hated figures on Kerala’s crime records. The handicapped habitual offender from Virudhachalam in Tamil Nadu was already facing several theft and mugging cases around Salem when he was caught by the Kerala Police for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in February 2011.