CHANDIGARH: A Deputy Jail Superintendent and a warden have been arrested by the Punjab Police for allegedly facilitating the smuggling of drugs and mobile phones inside the Hoshiarpur Central Jail.
The police action came after a video recorded by a gangster from inside the prison went viral on social media.
Harbhajan Singh, posted as Deputy Superintendent at the Central Jail, was arrested by the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Staff during the intervening night of July 4 and 5 in connection with an FIR registered at City Police Station, Hoshiarpur, on June 14.
He has been booked under relevant provisions of the Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Act, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Senior Superintendent of Police Sandeep Malik said the action was taken based on a complaint by the Jail Department filed on June 14.
"Considering the seriousness of the allegations, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SP Major Singh was constituted. During the preliminary inquiry, a mobile phone was recovered from inside the jail thus a case was registered at City Police Station, Hoshiarpur," he said.
"After that the SIT carried out an investigation by analysing digital evidence, financial transactions and statements of witnesses which led to the arrest of 12 persons. It also recovered mobile phones and gathered evidence of financial transactions involving several lakh rupees, besides pointing towards an organized network operating from inside the jail,’’ the officer said.
"Both accused will be produced in court to seek police remand for further interrogation,’" he added.
The crime came to light after a jail inmate, Manpreet Singh Manna, released a video which went viral on social media. In the video, Manna alleged that Deputy Jail Superintendent Harbhajan Singh had forced him to smuggle drugs inside the jail and subjected him to harassment and torture when he refused to cooperate.
Following the circulation of the video, jail authorities initiated an inquiry into the allegations. During the investigation, a SIM-less mobile phone was recovered from Manpreet Singh's possession inside the jail, police said.
The video triggered a political row, with opposition leaders questioning the functioning of the jail administration and how a gangster lodged in a high-security prison was able to circulate such a video.