Kannur: One of the two convicts who escaped from the Central Prison here two days back was caught by Kerala police from Udhagamandalam in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu in the wee hours Wednesday.
According to District Superintendent of Police K P Philip the prisoner, Jayanandan, was tracked down at a home in Udhagamandalam by the police team led by Kannur Town Circle Inspector Sadanandan.
Jayanandan was one of the two hardcore criminals who escaped from the central prison here on Monday. He and the other escaped prisoner Riyas were serving life imprisonment.
Jayanandan was involved in several criminal cases including murders while Riyas was convicted in 35 burglaries.
Jayanandan was traced by the police team pursuing a tip-off that he had a friend in Wellington in Udhagamandalam where his family members used to stay after his imprisonment.
After escaping the jail, Jayanandan and Riyas had travelled together upto Coimbatore, from were they parted ways.
Police had stepped up efforts to trace Riyas based on information elicited from Jayanandan, police sources said.
Taking a serious note of the escape, which exposed the security lapses in the prison, Home department had placed under suspension a deputy jailor and four prison wardens. The government had also ordered a departmental inquiry.
The escaped prisoners were lodged in the 10th block of the jail, which was recently put under Closed Circuit TV system for surveillance of inmates in the jail.
The duo escaped after removing the iron grills of their cells window and jumped over the prison wall.
The incident was seen as a case of serious lapse as two key accused in the terrorist case including T Nazir, the prime accused in the Bangalore blasts case, were lodged in the
near by block in the same prison sometime back.
PTI
