NEW DELHI: As many as 348 mobile phones, their chargers and other incriminating material such as sharp-edged knives were recovered by the prison authorities during multiple raids in last two and a half months.
“We recovered 18 mobile phones from the Jail No 3,” the recently appointed Director General (Prisons) Sanjay Baniwal said. The high-security prison in — Tihar Jail — known even before independence to keep the criminals at bay, has received much humiliation in the past as several officials associated with the prison have been booked by various law enforcement agencies for extending benefits to the prisoners.
Firstly, it was the Chandra brothers Ajay Chandra and Sanjay Chandra former promoters of Unitech, who “utilised the services” of the accused officials and then the silk stocking multi-millionaire “conman” — Sukesh Chandrashekhar — accused of duping the businessmen, politicians, and celebrities, too was found paying bribe to several Tihar officials.
According to some reports, Chandrashekhar was giving `75 lakh per fortnight as a bribe for a mobile phone. Even dreaded gangster, Lawrence Bishnoi, planned and ordered the brutal killing of Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu aka Sidhu Moosewala from Tihar Jail.
Baniwal said the jail authorities have now developed a special intelligence network and jail superintendents are themselves conducting surprise raids to prevent illegal activity inside the prison. “Through these raids, a very strong message has been sent to the criminal world,” the DG averred.
He said the authorities have set a target for 2023 to make the Tihar Jail completely free from the menace of mobile phone usage. “The target will include making the jails completely phone free and setting up problem redressal system for the inmates. Jammers will be installed so that no one would able to use the phone inside the prisons,” he said.
When asked about the involvement of the prison staff in extending benefits to the prisoners, he said, “We have taken strict action against such cases and in future also we will keep taking punitive action.”
Baniwal also said that a MoU is also being signed with Art of Living to strengthen the mental well-being of the inmates.
Under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission, a total of 1,020 jail inmates are getting trained in tourism and hospitality which will end in three months, he said.