Amritsar jail warder held for sneaking in narcotics

The Amritsar Central Jail authorities on Saturday arrested Jail Warder Jagdeep Singh for allegedly making available narcotics to inmates.

The jail authorities also confiscated 260 gm narcotic powder, 560 sedative pills, 100 gm narcotic substances, Rs 63,650 drug money and 217 “bidis” from his room during a search operation by a police team led by Deputy Superintendent (Jail) Yogesh Jain.

The incident came to light when the jail officials lodged a complaint with the Islamabad police. According to information, Jail Superintendent Hemant Sharma got a tip off that Ishant Kumar, alias Ishu, of Janta Nagar in Bathinda, who was serving 10-year imprisonment in a drug case, was in possession of drugs.

He was deputed in the langar hall of the jail. The jail staff swung into action and Ishant Kumar was nabbed. During searches, 404 sedative pills were seized from him.

The jail officials later came to know that the intoxicants were provided to him by the jail warder. Earlier also, he had slipped in narcotic powder and pills inside the high security jail complex.

Hemant Sharma said the operation was part of the crackdown launched by the police against drug smuggling and abuse in the state. Regular checks were also being conducted in jails, he added.

Superintendent (Jail) Hemant Sharma said Jagdeep’s mobile phone was being forensically examined to ascertain financial trail and identify his accomplices. The role of three more jail inmates had come to light and they would also be named in the FIR during further probe, he added.

“Apart from this, we have also launched a drive in the prison complex for identifying the black sheep active there. Stern action will be initiated against them,” he said.