Mobile seized from jailed gangster

GURUGRAM: Continuing its drive against the use of cellphones in Bhondsi Jail, prison staff seized a handset from Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu, a gangster, while two other cellphones were found abandoned during the search conducted on Friday.

A case under Section 42A of the Prisons Act was registered against the accused.

The confiscation of cellphones from Sangwan has not only baffled jail authorities, but also highlighted their failure to curb instances of phones being sneaked into the jail compound.

There have been a number of complaints from inmates that some people have been running an extortion racket from the jail.

Sangwan, who was transferred from Tihar jail last year, is involved in cases of murder, extortion, and land-grabbing. The seizure of mobile phones from him has alarmed the city police, who said his aides in Tihar and Bhondsi jail suspected that he was running a racket from jail.

Jai Kishan Chillar, superintendent, Bhondsi jail, said they conduct regular surprise checks in the barracks to ensure no illegal activities are carried out from within the jail’s premises. “During search operations carried out throughout the year, as many as 48 persons were booked. We have recovered 84 mobile phones and more than 18 SIM cards from the inmates,” Chillar said.

In February, during a police inspection after a fight inside the prison, 22 mobile phones were found abandoned by inmates.

In multiple raids and searches thereafter, numerous cellphones and batteries have been seized from inmates and jail staff.

According to police sources, mobile phones are often handed over to the inmates by their aides during court visits, who hide them in their socks or undergarments. There have also been cases in the past in which jail employees have been suspended for delivering cellphones to inmates, the police said.