THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ADGP (Prisons) R Sreelekha on Monday ordered a probe into the finding of smartphones in Poojappura Central Prison where the convicts of major cases, including the T P Chandrasekaran murder case, are serving sentences. She will also initiate a move to install mobile phone jammers in all prisons in the state.
The Poojappura police have registered a case in connection with the incident. Sreelekha told ‘Express’ an internal probe is on, apart from the police investigation. “Even though the Poojappura police have registered an FIR, I have initiated a probe to find out if prison staff are involved in helping prisoners get the phones. If any lapses are found, I will take action against the officers. The raid took place following a tip-off which also revealed information that cannot be disclosed now,” she said.
The smartphones were seized from S Sijith alias Annan Sijith, the sixth accused in the T P murder case, who is serving a life sentence, and from Basith Ali, the convict in the murder case of NRI Bhaskara Karanavar.
The phones were seized following a raid on Sunday night on nine blocks of the prison. Two mobile phones and two SIM cards were seized from one block. Two chargers and headphones were found in the raid on the hospital block.
A report pertaining to the seizure will be submitted by jail superintendent S Santhosh to Sreelekha soon. Further proceedings will be initiated based on the report and all prisons will be brought under the scanner, Sreelekha said.
Initial reports suggest that the convicts emailed their accomplices via mobile network to control their operations outside. Sreelekha said she would give a proposal to the government to release funds for installing mobile phone jammers in prisons in the state, though one jammer installed at Kannur central jail has been damaged.