Amritsar jail guard caught with drugs

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 14

An employee of the Punjab Ex-servicemen Corporation (PESCO), Saroop Singh, deputed in Amritsar Central jail, was nabbed with opium and a bundle of ‘bidis’ on Thursday. It is said that he had to deliver the same to a jail inmate, identified as Bhupinder Singh.

Later, during search, the jail authorities found a mobile phone from the possession of Bhupinder Singh. On the complaint of Avtar Singh, Assistant Superintendent, Jail, a case under Sections 18, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act and Section 42 of the Prisoners' Act was registered. He has been arrested by the police. A jail official, preferring not to be named, said Saroop Singh was held following a tip-off that he was supplying narcotics and other prohibited material. During search, four gm of opium and a bundle of bidis were seized.

The jail authorities have been grappling with shortage of staff. In order to meet the requirement, the Punjab government has provided jawans of PESCO, a public sector unit of the Punjab Police. The ex-servicemen are deployed in different department for security.