Surprise check leads cops to bluetooth device inside Model Burail Jail

10 cell phones recovered from inside the highly-secure prison in last 10 months

Sources said that barrack number 8, which has a 500 feet corridor, is one of the largest inside the jail and holds at least 150 inmates. (File)

A bluetooth device was recovered from barrack number 8 of the highly-secure Model Burail Jail in Chandigarh on Monday night during a surprise check, prompting the police to lodge a case and initiate a probe.

As per details, the bluetooth device was found hidden under the floor and it was active and charged when it was recovered. The jail administration said that the device was immediately seized and investigation launched to determine which of the inmates had been using the device as well as how it was smuggled inside the jail.

As per details, a portion of the floor inside the barrack had been hollowed out to hide the device and a dustbin was placed over it in order to avoid suspicion.

The surprise check on Monday night was carried out by a joint team of jail personnel as well as members of the security wing of Chandigarh Police. The police said that a metal detector was used to locate the device. Later, deputy jail superintendent, Parveen Kumar, lodged a police complaint with Sector 49 police station in this regard.

Sources said that barrack number 8, which has a 500 feet corridor, is one of the largest inside the jail and holds at least 150 inmates.

“Till date, at least 10 cell phones, besides narcotics substances like opium, charas, poppy-husk, tobacco , has been seized from the possession of inmates, including some notorious gangsters who have been lodged in this jail for a long time. These seizures have been made in the last 10 months. A temporary jail warden, Vijay Rana, was dismissed after he was found assisting the inmates. Another jail hospital employee, Manoj, was arrested for working as a messenger for criminals lodged in the prison. We have a zero-tolerance policy against anyone found flouting jail norms here,” a senior jail officer said.

As per details, most of the cell phones recovered till date are cheap and of Chinese origin. Almost all the phones recovered had WhatsApp active on them. Besides this, the police have also found active SIM cards on at least six of the cell phones that they have seized, two of which were recovered from the prison washrooms.