Medical officer among two held for running scam in Central Jail

The police claimed to have unearthed a scam in which healthcare personnel posted at the Central Jail, Ludhiana, had been providing ‘illegal service’ by receiving payments through a common Unified Payments Interface (UPI) account.

Under the ‘illegal service’, the suspects facilitated smuggling of drugs and mobile phones in jail.

While one medical officer and a technician have been arrested a few days ago and sent to judicial remand, several other healthcare officials, who are avoiding investigations, are suspected to be involved in the scam.

Medical officer Prince and technician Yashpal Sharma were identified as prime suspects in the scam that was unearthed on the basis of a month-long investigation of a case registered at the Division Number 7 police station against four inmates on October 27.

Investigating officer Dinesh Sharma said intensive interrogation of inmates Ravi Kumar, Amandeep Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Ubaid Masih and Gulshan Kumar, booked under the NDPS Act and 52 A (1) of the Prisons Act on October 27, had revealed that healthcare personnel deployed at the Central Jail had been running a scam providing ‘illegal service’ by receiving payments through a common UPI account.

“Depending upon the nature and quantum of material provided to the inmates, the suspects used to receive money from outside the jail through a UPI account maintained for the ulterior purpose,” said Dinesh Sharma, adding that more skeletons might stumble out during further investigations.

He said Prince and Yashpal had been sent to separate jails at Ropar and Patiala on judicial remand.

Investigations further revealed that prime suspects Prince and Yashpal had facilitated smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, besides electronic gadgets, including mobile phones.

Though the police are yet to ascertain the exact number and nature of services provided by Prince and Yashpal with the help of their suspected accomplices inside and outside the jail, it has confirmed that all illegal transactions were conducted through a common UPI account, deposit and withdrawal details of which are being gathered.

It is not for the first time that some government officials posted at the Central Jail, Ludhiana, were found involved in illegal activities, violating provisions of the Prisons Act.

Several cases are already under investigation in which police officials posted at the jail were found facilitating smuggling of banned products and equipment inside the jail to be used by inmates.