One of the two convicts who escaped from the central prison in Kannur on Monday was caught by the Kerala police from Udhagamandalam in Tamil Nadu in the wee hours on Wednesday.
According to District Superintendent of Police K. P. Philip, Jayanandan was tracked down to a home in Udhagamandalam in Nilgiris district by a team led by Kannur town circle inspector Sadanandan.
Hardcore criminals Jayanandan and Riyas, both serving life imprisonment, escaped from the central prison here on Monday.
Jayanandan was involved in several criminal cases, including murder, while Riyas was convicted in 35 burglaries.
Jayanandan was traced following a tip-off that he had a friend in Wellington in Udhagamandalam where his family members used to stay after his imprisonment.
After escaping from the prison, Jayanandan and Riyas had travelled together up to Coimbatore, from were they parted ways.
Police have stepped up efforts to trace Riyas on the basis of information gathered from Jayanandan, they said.
Taking a serious note of the escape, which exposed security lapses in the prison, Home department placed under suspension a deputy jailor and four prison wardens. The government 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.
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 a terror case, including T. Nazir, the prime accused in the Bangalore blasts case, were lodged in a nearby block in the same prison sometime back.