Prisoner flees, caught within hours

Shibu, a prisoner, who escaped from a train at the Kayamkulam station only to be nabbed from there a few hours later on Tuesday

A prisoner, Shibu, alias Peeli Shibu, gave the police the slip by jumping off a moving train at the Kayamkulam railway station but was nabbed from there a few hours later on Tuesday.

Two policemen were taking Shibu to a court in Thrissur from the Central Prison at Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram, where he is serving a sentence in the Aprani Krishnakumar murder case.

S. Devamanohar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kayamkulam, told

The Hindu that when the train left the station at 12.45 p.m., Shibu, on the way to the toilet in the coach, pushed aside his watchers and escaped. The policemen could not go after him as the train had by then gained speed. Mr. Devamanohar said the police launched a search soon.

He was nabbed after he boarded a running train when the police found him hiding in a bush around 5 p.m. The police alerted the passengers on the train and they pulled the chain and stopped the train. Shibu jumped onto the second railway line at the station and tried to escape. However, the police overpowered him with the help of the local people.

Mr. Devamanohar said that after escaping, Shibu ran to a nearby house and stole clothes from there. He then changed and hid in the bush. He has been lodged at the Kayamkulam police station and will be produced before the court on Wednesday.