2 Tihar staffers caught passing messages from conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, ED to question officials again

On the first incident, DG (Prisons) Sandeep Goel had said it was noticed on CCTV that a nursing orderly, who is a contractual staffer, was seen taking some papers from Sukesh. “Sukesh was lodged in Jail number 3, and after enquiry, we came to know that it was a letter. We have written to Delhi Police,” he said.

Sources said ED officials had approached the jail administration before the Delhi Police and asked them to share details as they too are probing a case against Sukesh.

“The contractual medical assistant’s phone was handed over to them. They found during their probe that Sukesh was giving him written notes and had shared his associate’s number. The orderly was sending these notes to the associate via WhatsApp. He had not deleted all pictures of the written notes and the investigation agency found some notes where Sukesh was reportedly asking his associate to send money to jail officials,” sources said.

ED officials also visited jail no 3 where Sukesh was lodged. “They scanned CCTV footage and questioned jail staffers. They have summoned them for questioning again and are looking into their role,” sources said.

Meanwhile, the suspended head warder was caught allegedly passing Sukesh’s message to his associate over the phone. DG Goel told The Indian Express that recently, an alert jail staffer got to know that the head warder was working in connivance with Sukesh and immediately informed senior officials. “We conducted an enquiry and placed him under suspension on Friday after the allegations were substantiated,” he said.

Sources said the head warder was on night duty when he was asked by Sukesh to make a call to his associate and pass on a message. “He stepped out and sat in his car in the parking area to make the call, while still on duty, and was caught by his senior. During probe, it was found that Sukesh had allegedly promised to give Rs 5 lakh to him in exchange for passing on messages to his associates,” a jail source said.

After it came to light that Sukesh was allegedly running an organised crime syndicate (extortion racket) with his accomplices and connivance of jail officials from judicial custody, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) last month had booked 81 officials and staff of Rohini jail on corruption charges after it found that one of the arrested men was taking Rs 1.5 crore from Sukesh every month and distributing it to staff.