Two-fold jump in cellphone seizures in Faridkot jail

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 26

With the seizure of 400 mobile phones since January this year, Faridkot jail has recorded two-fold jump in the number of phones seized.

Last year, about 200 mobile phones were seized from the Faridkot jail during the corresponding period.

In the latest recovery, nine mobile phones were seized from the premises on Wednesday from different barracks of the jail. Among the seized mobiles, two are touch screens while the remaining are keypad phones.

Last week, an Ambala-based advocate had lodged a complaint with the Haryana Police that an inmate lodged for peddling drugs had threatened of murdering him.

Besides confiscating a mobile phone from the accused caller, the jail authorities seized five more cellphones after they were alerted by the Haryana Police.

Rajiv Arora, Superintendent, Faridkot Central Jail, said despite tightening security, they were facing problems to check the inflow of mobile phones in the jail premises. The Superintendent said there were various reasons for the regular inflow of mobile phones in the premises.

“The free movement of people in the farms around the jail complex makes it easy for them to throw cellphones inside. Besides, inmates hide phones before entering the jail premises or after attending court hearings in their cases. Lenient punishment for possessing and using a mobile phone in the jail is another reason why they are seized frequently in the premises, said Arora.

Arora said lenient laws to deal with the crime of possessing a mobile phone in jail was a big hurdle in checking the illegal practice. “Offenders are booked under Section 52-A of the Prisons Act for possessing a mobile phone, which is a bailable offence,” the Superintendent said.

“Being a bailable offence, the police cannot get the custody of the accused for questioning and break the supply chain of mobile phones in jails,” said a senior police official, adding that amendment to the law was needed to make this offence non-bailable.

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