Probe marked into smuggling of prohibited material inside Ludhiana Central Jail

The Ludhiana Police have initiated a probe into recurring incidents of violation of the Prisons Act by suspects, including two cops.

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Smuggling of 250 gm tobacco, 900 habit forming tablets and 22 mobile phones has prompted the police to undertake intensive investigation into the modus operandi of the suspects, who were booked a fortnight.

Investigating Officer (IO) Dinesh Kumar Sharma said the police had taken a serious notice of seizure of 10 cellphones during a surprise search conducted on Wednesday.

An FIR under Section 52 A of the Prisons Act was registered against Lakhvir Singh Lakha and nine other inmates on the statement of Assistant Superintendent Sukhdev Singh on Wednesday.

A fortnight ago the Division Number 7 police led by Dinesh Kumar Sharma had nabbed Gurpreet Singh of Singhewala Wero Ke village in Fazilka district, a cop posted as warder for allegedly smuggling 250 gm of tobacco by concealing in socks.

The police had also nabbed another cop Tirlok Singh and seized 900 habit-forming tablets from his possession.

Twelve phones were seized from 10 inmates booked under Section 52 A (1) of the Prisons Act during the past fortnight, said the IO.

Though violation of the Police Act by inmates or the jail personnel is taken seriously in routine, access of digital equipment to inmates is considered unacceptable at any cost as these can be used for coordination with anti-social elements.

“We are focusing on identifying black sheep and their accomplices who had felicitated smuggling of 22 mobile phones and intoxicants seized recently,” said Dinesh Kumar Sharma.