Absconding jail official among three more nabbed in Ferozepur prison phone call case

Chandigarh, January 6

The Punjab Police today arrested three more persons, including an absconding Assistant Jail Superintendent, in the sensational Ferozepur Jail phone calls case.

With the fresh arrests, the number of persons nabbed in the case has risen to 14, which includes eight jail officials.

Nexus between inmates, officials

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• A probe has found that there was a nexus between inmates and jail officials for allowing the former to use mobiles inside the jail
• It was also found that the officials did not lodge FIRs against inmates for using mobiles and did not stop them from consuming/selling intoxicants like heroin & opium inside the prison

The suspects allegedly helped three drug smugglers operate mobile phones from inside the jail so blatantly that more than 43,000 calls were made with two mobiles only. It seemed that the two phones were used by several inmates inside the jail.

Those arrested today included Rajinder Singh, a retired jail official who was serving in the Ferozepur Jail in 2019 when the phone calls were made. Police officials said he was absconding since the FIR was lodged.

The second suspect arrested accused today was Jagsir Singh, who had supplied a phone SIM card (obtained in the name of his father Lakhwinder Singh) to accused drug smugglers Sonu Tiddi, Raj Kumar and others.

The third person who was arrested was a drug peddler, identified as Rahul, who was already in jail and was taken on production warrant and formally arrested in the fresh case.

The police said Rahul had corroborated the statement given by another smuggler Gurvinder, alias Cylinder, that jail officials, including Nirpal Singh, Gurtej Singh and Kashmir Chand had connived with inmates for the use of mobile phones and the smuggling of drugs inside the jail.

A team led by AIG J Elanchezhian is investigating the case under the supervision of Special DGP, Internal Security, RN Dhoke.

The proceeds of drug sales inside the jail were paid via UPI transactions into the accounts of suspects like Neeru Bala and Geetanjali, who were booked earlier in the case.

The investigation has revealed that there was a nexus between inmates and jail officials for allowing inmates to use mobile phones inside the jail. It was also found that they did not lodge FIRs against them for using mobile phones inside the jail and did not stop them from consuming/selling intoxicants like heroin, opium inside the prison.

The active connivance of jail officials with inmates led to the drug racket in the jail for which jail officials used to take bribe from inmates and associates. The police had begun the probe in the case on December 22, 2023, after the Punjab and Haryana High Court questioned the police for the blatant use of phones inside the jail.

The police began the probe after registering an FIR at the SSOC police station in Fazilka, against five persons, namely Raj Kumar, Sonu, alias Tiddi, Neeru Bala, Geetanjali and Amrik Singh, on the allegation that they used to sell drugs inside the jail.

The suspects threw drugs into the prison from outside with the alleged connivance of jail officials.