KANNUR: In a lightning raid conducted at the Kannur Central Jail, DGP Rishiraj Singh and his team of policemen seized mobile phones, SIM cards, batteries, iron rods, ganja, cash and tobacco from the prisoners. The raid that began around 4 am, ended at 7.15 am. Kannur Range IG Ashok Yadav and Kannur SP Pratheesh Kumar too participated in the raid.
Based on the complaint of Kannur Jail Superintendent T Baburajan, the Town Police registered case against four prisoners for possession of mobile phones and ganja. Cases were registered against Ranjith, a CPM worker, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the death of RSS worker Mahesh of Chittaripparamba and against Murukeshan and Unni who are murder accused, for possession of mobile phones. A case was registered against another prisoner, Chidanandan, for possession of ganja.
Around 150 police personnel from Kannur and Kozhikode districts participated in the raid that was conducted in the light of reports that illegal activities were taking place in the jail with the support of jail officials. Three officials had been suspended last week in connection with the incident in which prisoners bought a television by contributing money.
Rishiraj Singh had kept the raid a secret till the last moment. It was around 3 am that he got in touch with Kannur SP Pratheesh Kumar and asked him to provide police force. A team of 30 civil police officers was deployed from the district from the AR Camp and both range IG Ashok Yadav and SP Pratheesh Kumar accompanied him to the jail.