Punjab’s Prisons Department has launched an investigation about seven jail officials in Ferozepur, including the current superintendent, for major administrative lapses that resulted in three smugglers making over 43,000 phone calls while incarcerated. Two of the smugglers also reportedly received Rs 1.35 crore online in their spouses’ accounts while being in prison. It is being investigated whether the accused sent or received money using phones within the jail.
Reports say that two serving and three retired jail superintendents are among those under investigation. They are Satnam Singh, superintendent of the Central Jail in Ferozepur, Arvinder Pal Singh Bhatti, former superintendent (now suspended), Parvinder Singh, principal of the Punjab Jail Training School in Patiala, and Gurnam Lal, superintendent of the District Jail in Ropar. Parvinder and Gurnam had previously served as superintendents of the Ferozepur jail. Baljeet Singh Vaid, Karanjit Singh Sandhu, and Surinder Singh are the three retired superintendents under investigation.
Even though the government claims that phone jammers are installed in jails, the three smugglers Raj Kumar (Raja), Sonu Tiddi, and Amrik Singh used mobile phones from inside the jail. The phone use was so blatant and unregulated that of the total 43,432 phone calls made by the smugglers, 38,850 were made from Raj Kumar’s phone in just one month (March 1-31, 2019). This equates to an average of 1,295 calls every day and 53 calls every hour. The other phone calls, totaling 4,582, were made over the course of nearly 28 months, between October 9, 2021, and February 14, 2023.
Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court slammed State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) officers and the Investigating Officer (IO) for failing to investigate the role of jail officials in the alleged multi-crore narcotics ring running from the Ferozepur Central Jail.
LiveLaw reported that while questioning the SSOC head, Special DGP, IPS R.N Dhoke, Justice N.S. Shekhawat said, “Can there be any crime more serious than this, Court has reason to believe that the multi-crore drug racket is running from prison…I will send the matter to CBI and ED to investigate…you are party to it. 43,000 calls are being made from jail (in 4 years), not even one jail official is arrayed in FIR.”
The High Court bench while expressing concern over SSOC’s careless approach noted that meetings held by Special Cells, which are attended by AIGs, are limited to “tea and samosa” only.
