Cellphone, cash recovered from rape convict pastor Bajinder Singh in Mansa jail

A mobile phone and Rs 2,500 in cash have been recovered from self-styled pastor Bajinder Singh, who is currently serving life sentence in a rape case, at the district jail in Mansa.

The recovery was made during a surprise search operation conducted on Tuesday by jail officials and local police.

As per the FIR, the contraband items were found in Bajinder’s possession, following which a case has been registered based on a complaint filed by the assistant superintendent of the jail.

The recovery suggests possible lapses in jail security or assistance from insiders.

"We are probing how he got the cellphone and who provided it to him in the jail," said Boota Singh Gill, DSP, Mansa.

Bajinder Singh, who gained fame for his 'Yeshu Yeshu' videos, holding large religious congregations and promoting himself as a miracle healer, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in April this year in a high-profile rape case registered in 2018. His followers, mainly from Punjab and neighbouring states, used to flock in large numbers to his sermons.