A huge parcel containing almost all items banned in the prison manual was thrown into the Coimbatore Central Prison compound on Monday evening.
It contained 25 new cellular phones, two old cellular phones, four chargers, five extra cell phone batteries, a CD player, 351 compact CDs/DVDs, 25 headphones, 191 bundles of beedis, 14 packets of cigarettes, a torchlight, 25 gutka packets and batteries, besides two computer notebooks. All the items have been seized.
A prison warder on his way back from duty noticed the parcel being thrown in and a group of prisoners picking it and running into a block around 6.20 p.m. He chased them and made an unsuccessful attempt to snatch the parcel.
The ‘operation’ was timed in such a manner that the packet landed inside the compound after the police personnel on guard duty left the place and before the next team crossed that point, prison security sources said.
The parcel landed close to the gallows near the high-security block meant for Al-Umma convicts of the serial blasts case that can be accessed from the Bharathiar Road side.
The warder alerted Central Prison Superintendent A. Murugesan, who along with a team of specially trained prison security commandos, carried out a search. When the team reached the first floor/roof, they found the parcel split into two units and hidden there.
