KOCHI: Officials at the Mattanchery Sub Jail have nabbed a person who attempted to throw a mobile phone into the jail on Sunday. Shiras alias Chengiri Shiras was caught while he was roaming close to the compound wall of the prison, the police said.
Officials monitoring CCTV cameras spotted Shiras around 2.50pm.“Shiras is involved in multiple criminal and narcotic cases. He had previously been lodged in the Mattanchery jail and hence knew every corner of the jail,” said a jail official.
The officials monitoring surveillance cameras spotted him close to the eastern boundary wall. The wall is also the boundary of the Mattanchery ACP’s office. “He entered through the ACP office compound. As it was a Sunday, no one noticed him there,” the official said.
Shiras was later handed over to the Mattanchery police. A case has been registered against him for criminal trespass and violation of the Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services (Management Act). “On interrogation, Shiras admitted that he was looking to supply a mobile phone to a jail inmate. The area was under surveillance over suspicion that contraband was being smuggled into the jail through that side,” the official said.
Seizures of mobile phones and tobacco products have become regular during surprise raids in the state’s jails. To prevent this, the prisons department has directed a strict checking of inmates on their return after being produced in court.