Cellphones in tennis balls make way into Faridkot Central Jail

Faridkot, January 15

With the seizure of around 20 mobile phones within a week and over 500 cellphones in the past one year from the Faridkot Central Jail, the police and the jail authorities are facing an uphill task to control this meance.

Two weeks ago, the jail authorities started using sniffer dogs to detect unwanted material making on the premises. In order to dodge these specially trained canines, miscreants started using tennis balls.

During patrolling, the jail guards found three tennis balls containing two cellphones, a charger and some other prohibited items.

On Friday, the patrolling team found two motorcyclists roaming around the jail premises. After being challenged, the youths fled, leaving behind tennis balls comprising mobile phones. These balls were sealed with an adhesive and were to be lobbed inside the jail complex. The use of tennis balls to push cellphones and drugs from outside the boundary wall has baffled the jail authorities.

Ironically, the jail is surrounded by fields from three sides and the police find it difficult to track movement of people in these private properties. An official said tennis balls can be easily thrown across the boundary wall.

“Chinese cellphones are cleverly hidden inside tennis balls. There have been instances when phones measuring two-three inches were found hidden by inmates inside barracks,” said a senior jail officer.