Thiruvananthapuram, 25 July(HS): Thomas Charley alias Govindasamy, the illiterate leader of the begging mafia operating in Kerala, taught the prison authorities and police in the State one or two lessons in the art of jail breaking in the early hours of Friday.

Though Charley escaped from the high security prison in Kannur at 01.15 on Friday, the police, along with the dog squad and the help provided by the locals, caught hold of him before 10 AM from a city suburb.

The escape made by Charley would eclipse some of the Hollywood movies centred on jailbreak. Sentenced to life imprisonment for raping and murdering Sowmya, a Thrissur girl who was returning home after office hours, Charley was found to be a dreaded criminal, the name of whom evoked terror in the minds of the people.

The Kannur Central Prison is one of the high-security prisons in the State, and how Charley manage to escape is the million-dollar question. Though three jail officials have been put under suspension, that does not explain how Charley came out of his cell, managed to jump over the 10 ft wall atop which there was barbed wires and reached the city suburb is a question that the Government of Kerala has to answer.

For years, there were allegations that prisons in Kerala have become a haven of the hired killers of the CPI(M) and the Congress. There are committees of CPI(M) members in each of the jails, and the senior leader among the prisoners has the last word on all issues concerning the functioning and operation of the jail.

Charley had started preparing for the jail break at least two months ago. According to police officials who questioned him, he reduced his weight by cutting down on non-vegetarian food and switching over to chapatis instead of the staple food of Malayalis, the rice. He was allowed to grow hair and beard, though all inmates must have a hair cut once in a month and shaving once a week.

He managed to get hold of a blade with which he cut the steel pipes to facilitate his exit from the cell. The escape could have been made possible only with the active cooperation of insiders. Balram Upadhyaya, the ADGP (Prisons), told reporters that there was something seriously amiss in the jail and a thorough probe is being ordered into the functioning of the system.

Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti