Breach in Surat jail security as packet containing phone chargers, data cables lands inside

The wall behind the jail is about 10 feet high, and next to it is a creek and an agricultural field. Officials are also trying to ascertain whether someone from the jail was involved.

A complaint in this connection was lodged at Surat’s Sachin police station by Deputy Jailer Piyush Makwana on Tuesday evening, and police registered an offence under BNS Act Sections 223 (disobedience to orders given by public servants), and Prison Act Sections 42, 43, 45 (2).

The FIR states: “Just before the jail barracks were expected to open for all prisoners to be allowed to come out for refreshment and tea, the jail patrolling staffer Kiran Kumar saw a parcel fall on the floor between yard number 5 and 6 on Tuesday morning.”

Kumar checked the nearby area but found nobody and took the parcel to Deputy Jailer Piyush Makwana’s office and shared the details. Deputy Jailer Makwana opened the parcel and found four mobile phone chargers, four data cables, and tobacco pouches, the FIR states.

It adds: “After such discovery, the information was kept hidden from the prisoners, and the barracks were routinely opened for the prisoners’ refreshment to show them that nothing had happened. Later in the afternoon, the jail officials checked the CCTV footage of watchtowers 2 and 3 and found two youths throwing something inside the jail premises on Tuesday morning.”

The jail authorities reached Sachin police station late Tuesday afternoon and filed a complaint. They also submitted a pen drive containing CCTV footage.

Surat Central Jail Superintendent J N Desai said, “The Central Jail is situated on Surat to Navsari main road at Lajpore village. There are over 3,000 inmates, and the jail campus is spread over 54 acres of land. The front compound wall (protection wall) parallel to the main road is around seven metres high, while the backyard wall of the jail is less than 10 feet high. There is a small creek and several agricultural fields in the backyard of the jail. After a couple of agricultural fields, the residential houses in Lajpore village begin. We have started extending the height of the jail’s backyard wall (protection wall), and the work is still in progress. Due to the alertness of our jail staffer, the parcel was found and caught before the prisoners were released from the barracks on Tuesday morning.”

Sachin police inspector P N Vaghela said, “We have started investigations to identify the two accused involved in this incident. We have also alerted the jail officials to gather information about who the receivers are. The compound wall of the jail’s yard is below ten feet, and the two youths are far from the fields. We have sent our teams to the villages and questioned some people.”