Ferozepur— In a late-night surprise search operation at the Ferozepur Central Jail, prison authorities recovered 15 mobile phones hidden in various barracks, intensifying concerns over persistent security lapses inside Punjab’s high-security prisons.
The search, carried out under the supervision of the Jail Superintendent, took place between July 29 and 30, unearthing the prohibited devices from barracks 1, 2, and 4. The inmates found in possession of the mobile phones include undertrials and convicts, such as Shamsher Singh, Jagtar Singh, Baljinderjit Singh, Vikramjit Singh, Sandeep Singh, Amritpal Singh, Shivam Sehgal, Dharampreet, Vicky, Varinder Singh, Ashok Singh, Angrez Singh, Solav Singh, Sandeepl Singh alias Seepu, and Sukhchain Singh alias Lucky.
Mobile phones remain the most desired contraband in prisons, providing inmates with unauthorized communication channels for contacting family and, in some cases, carrying out criminal activities like extortion and threats. Authorities admit that the seizure of phones often ends without deeper investigation unless the case is high-profile, as taking prisoners on remand to probe tracked calls can raise security risks.
More disturbingly, banned substances were also discovered during the raid. In one case, drugs were reportedly hidden in the collar of a shirt and passed to an inmate during a scheduled visitation (mulaqat) by his brother, Kuldeep Singh.
This latest seizure adds to an already staggering tally—328 mobile phones have been recovered from Ferozepur Central Jail from January to July 2025 alone, not including the latest 15 recovered in August. These figures highlight a consistent breach of security protocols and smuggling operations that continue despite repeated warnings and prior crackdowns.
Jail authorities have registered cases under Section 52A of the Prisons Act against all 15 prisoners involved in the latest incident. An internal investigation is ongoing, with efforts underway to plug surveillance gaps and introduce stricter screening during inmate visits and routine checks.
Officials say additional technological measures, staff monitoring, and coordination with local police are now being intensified to prevent further breaches. However, the frequency and scale of recoveries suggest that a systemic overhaul may be needed to address the deeper rot of contraband smuggling and insider collusion within prison walls.
