Kerala police will proactively track mobile phone signals emanating from within prison precincts to curb the illegal use of cellphones by inmates.
Officials say the proposal entails archiving and analysis of “tower dumps,” information on all communications that originate from or are received by cellphone towers in a particular locality, in this case those near prisons, to identify mobile phones routinely used from within the grounds of correctional facilities.
The police say the data from “tower dumps” will provide them with the location of the suspect device, its call data record, text message contents, voicemail, subscriber information, and Internet history if activated within the “targeted prison’s premises.”
WiretappingThe police can also, with court warrants or authorisation of the Home Department, wiretap mobile phone conversations emanating from jail premises in real time, chiefly in cases where there is the likelihood of “high risk” inmates using cellphones to take part in criminal activity within the prison or outside.
Thus, the law can eavesdrop on the communications of convicts or under trials and gather evidence against them and their collaborators for prosecution.
Director-General of Prisons T.P. Sen Kumar had mooted the proposal after devices such as handheld non-linear junction detectors that indicate the presence of electronic devices, irrespective of whether they are switched on or not, failed to detect dismantled phones and SIM cards commonly hidden underground on prison premises.
Moreover, he had pointed out that most of the State’s prisons and jails were located in densely populated areas. Hence, the jamming of mobile signals in precincts of the facilities invariably interfered with normal cellphone traffic, often prompting service providers to shift frequencies, thereby rendering the expensive “jammers” installed in jails ineffective.
In an apparent “carrot and stick” approach, the Prisons Department has doubled the land phone talk time for prisoners to contact their family and friends while intensifying inspection of jail premises for contraband cell phones.
Smuggled mobile phones are also often a source of income for corrupt jail officials and influence for inmates who possessed them.
Mobile phones had been used by prisoners in the past to secretly communicate with their associates outside, plot crime, including intimidation of witnesses and attacks on police officers and operate Facebook accounts.
