The authorities at the women's prison in Kannur are likely to face action over the suicide of a murder-accused on the jail premises. Soumya, 28, from Pinarayi in Kannur, was found hanging on a cashew tree on Friday. She was the lone accused in the sensational murder of her parents and her young daughter.

A primary probe pointed to serious lapses on the part of the officials at the prison. Despite having 23 staff members and just 20 inmates, the security at the prison reportedly had several loopholes.

However, the jail had only four staff members on duty at the time of Soumya's suicide. For hours, they did not even notice Soumya's disappearance from the area assigned for her work on the three-acre premise.

It is mandatory that officials accompany murder-accused inmates when they are sent out of their cells for work. However, they came to know about Soumya's death only when they found the body hours after she was let out of her cell.

Prisoners are often taken out of their cells at 6 am and they proceed to work at 7.30 am, after breakfast. Soumya's body was found two hours later at 9.30 am. She was hanging from a saree of her cell mate. While inmates under remand normally wear their own clothes, the police are trying to find out how Soumya got her cell mate's clothes.

Only convicted prisoners are normally made to work at the jail. Remanded prisoners can also be assigned work, but only if they demand. A decision on the demand is taken after reviewing the prisoner's state of mind and the status of the case.

Soumya was under remand in three cases, having been accused of poisoning to death her father, mother and daughter.

A preliminary report on Soumya's death has been submitted by the jail superintendent to the northern range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) S Santosh. The DIG has sought a report from the regional welfare officer K V Mukesh and is soon set to arrive at the jail for a detailed inquiry.

Meanwhile, Soumya's relatives have refused to accept the body. The police will bury the body after post-mortem.

Claims innocence

Soumya had claimed in a suicide note that she was innocent.

“Officials are not responsible for my death. My family has isolated me. I'm innocent, I've not murdered anyone,” she wrote in her diary, which the police recovered from her cell in a search.

She has also claimed innocence in another note addressed to her daughter.

The police had charged Soumya with lacing toxic substances in food given to her parents Kunhikkannan, 75, and Kamala, 65, as well as daughter Aiswarya, 8.