Seven officials among 11 arrested for drug racket in Ferozepur prison

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, January 2

In the sensational case pertaining to over 43,000 calls made from mobile phones by three drug smuggler inmates of the Ferozepur jail, the Punjab Police have arrested 11 persons — seven jail officials and four smugglers — for running a nexus to supply drugs and phones in the prison.

Probe findings reveal nexus with inmates

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• Nexus between jail inmates and officials for allowing the former to use mobiles
• No FIRs were lodged when mobile phones were found inside the jail premises
• Officials didn’t stop inmates from consuming/selling drugs such as heroin, opium
• They used to ‘take bribes’ from inmates, accomplices for allowing the drug racket

Special DGP (Internal Security) RN Dhoke said a team led by AIG J Elanchezhian busted the nexus and arrested the 11 persons.

Those arrested include retired assistant superintendent Nirpal Singh, retired assistant superintendent of jail Kashmir Chand, assistant superintendent Gurtej Singh (serving at the Faridkot jail), retired head warder Surjeet Singh, retired head warder Balkar Singh, warder Nachhatar Singh (serving at the Malerkotla jail) and retired warder Naib Singh. They helped inmates in using mobile phones inside the jail premises and did not take action when phones were recovered from the inmates. They also aided drug supply/consumption in the jail in lieu of money.

The smugglers arrested in the case are Gurwinder Singh, alias Cylinder, Gourav, alias Gora, Inderjit, alias Indri (brought on production warrant from the jail), and Gaurav Dhingra, who runs a mobile shop at Delhi Gate, Jail Road, Ferozepur, and also received proceeds of drug sale in his account.

The proceeds of drug sale inside the jail came by way of UPI such as Google Pay and Paytm in the accounts of accused Neeru Bala and Geetanjali, who were booked in the case earlier. The investigation has revealed that there was a nexus between jail inmates and jail officials for allowing the former to use mobile phones inside the jail.

No FIRs were lodged when mobile phones were found inside the jail. The officials did not stop the inmates from consuming/selling drugs such as heroin and opium inside the jail. They used to take bribes from inmates and their accomplices for allowing a drug racket inside the prison.

The calls made from the jail are being examined and details of banks in which the drug money was deposited are also being scrutinised by the investigation team.

Of the 43,432 phone calls made by smugglers from the jail, 38,850 were made from the phone of Raj Kumar in just one month (March 1 to 31, 2019). This means the phone was in use almost round the clock.

The remaining 4,582 phone calls were made between October 9, 2021, and February 14, 2023. The police began a probe on December 22 last year after the Punjab and Haryana High Court questioned them over the blatant use of phones in the jail.

The police registered an FIR at the SSOC police station in Fazilka against five persons — Raj Kumar, Sonu, alias Tiddi, Neeru Bala, Geetanjali and Amrik Singh — on allegations that they used to sell drugs inside the Ferozepur jail.