Ferozepur: Security arrangements at Ferozepur Central Jail have come under scrutiny after prison staff recovered 21 mobile phones, one adapter and three AirPods from inmates, leading to the registration of a police case against 20 prisoners.
The recovery was made during a routine search of multiple barracks inside the jail. Officials said the seized items included eight touchscreen mobile phones and 13 touchpad handsets, all of which are prohibited as they allow unauthorised communication with the outside world. Following the seizure, the Assistant Superintendent of the jail lodged a complaint with the local police station, resulting in an FIR under Section 52-A of the Prisoners Act.
Those named in the case include alleged hawala operators Kuldeep Singh, Gaurav, Rachpal Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sanjeev Singh alias Nannu, Gurinder Singh, Lovepreet Singh, Taranveer, Chamkaur Singh, Davinder Singh alias Saini, Akash Singh and Rahul. Other inmates booked in the case are Bhim Sen alias Bhim Nath, Parvinder Singh, Gursevak Singh, Ravinder Singh alias Prince, Rahul alias Gobind and Raman Kumar.
Investigating officer ASI Sharma Singh said all the accused have been named in the FIR. He noted that the presence of mobile phones inside prisons defeats the very purpose of incarceration by enabling inmates to maintain external links.
Meanwhile, the state government has sanctioned a major prison modernisation project aimed at strengthening jail security. Under the newly approved initiative, modern equipment such as AI-based CCTV surveillance systems, X-ray baggage scanners and body-worn cameras will be procured for prisons at a cost of Rs 126 crore. In addition, high-energy jammers are being installed in 13 sensitive jails across Punjab to curb the use of mobile phones.
Officials said the latest seizure marks the highest annual recovery of mobile phones from Punjab jails in the past six years. A total of 638 mobile phones have been recovered so far in 2025, compared to 510 in 2024, 469 in 2023, 437 in 2022, 265 in 2021, 130 in 2020 and 70 in 2019.
