62 year old man goes to jail 21 years after being released on parole

Thiruvananthapuram: When a man in his 60s along with his son-in-law arrived at the office of the superintendent of Poojappura Central Jail on Thursday afternoon, the officials thought they were visitors. However, he was surprised when the two told him the purpose of the trip. As it turns out, the elderly man, who identified himself as Thankachan, was paroled 21 years ago, and has now returned to jail to surrender! A native of Thodupuzha, Thankachan was sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case in 2000. After spending three years in jail, he was granted 30 days ordinary leave from Poojappura jail. The short time spent outside was enough for Thankachan to make up his mind and abscond rather than return to the four walls of the prison. Every jail officer was surprised by the sudden appearance of the 62-year-old man. “We have seen people who were absconding for 12 years, brought back by policemen. This was the first time we saw someone deliberately coming to jail, that too after being on the run for 21 years,” said superintendent D Sathyaraj. ‘Thankachan hid his identity, worked in Wayanad estate’ According to jail officials, Thankachan told them that all these years, he had been working in estates in Mananthavady and Sultan Bathery in Wayanad, hiding his identity. He rarely visited his relatives in Thodupuzha. Jail sources said the police are searching for him and calling his family. “Under pressure, the family may have induced Thankachan to surrender. Apart from this, it seems that he also has some medical problems. “He might have thought he would get free treatment and food in jail,” said an officer. Although Thankachan decided to surrender, he would have to face consequences for skipping parole, an official said. “He will not get any parole for the next four to five years. After that, perhaps considering his age and medical condition and the fact that he has come back on his own, he may get parole. But it’s been a long time since then,” the officer said.