A video, showing three inmates lodged in Mandoli jail having a ‘good time’, has raised questions on the multilayer security system in prisons in the Capital.
The video, doing the rounds on social media, shows three criminals — Salim (35), Rustam (30) and Sohrab (26), cooking meals on induction heater. Recorded by one of them, the video also takes a tour of their rooms and bathrooms.
Director General (Prisons) Ajay Kashyap said, “A probe has been ordered into the matter. The inquiry reports will be submitted at the earliest. The gangsters are lodged in high-security cell no. 15 in Mandoli jail.”
Meanwhile, the jail authorities said the inmates get a few basic facilities by paying charges but mobile phones are not allowed.
Over two dozen crimes
The criminals, all brothers from Lucknow’s Lakad Mandi, have been involved in over two dozen cases of murder, attempt to murder and robberies in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, the police said, adding that they were arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in 2013. The jail authorities said Mandoli jail has a three-tier security system but the premises are surrounded by several high-rise buildings in Harsh Vihar.
The police said someone might have thrown a mobile phone from one of these buildings, which was then collected by inmates or any staff member, involved in the conspiracy.
“There are several models of mobile phones and the small ones can be smuggled inside the jail in body cavity. But there is a system in place to check items concealed in body cavity,” said an officer with Mandoli jail authorities.
The officer added that they conduct surprise inspections at various barracks of the jail and often confiscate banned items.
“It is a matter of concern for jail officers as there are frequent reports of undertrial prisoners and convicts using cell phones,” said a senior jail officer posted in Mandoli.
In the past, threat calls by criminals for ransom have been reported from various prisons in the Capital. The dreaded criminals, lodged in jails here, often challenge authorities and police by operating their crime syndicates through mobile phones.
