In a video that poses an open challenge to the law and order management in jails across Punjab, an undertrail was seen celebrating the birthday of his friend from inside Firozepur Central Jail by going live on Facebook. A case was registered against the undertrial after the incident went viral on social media. The video shows the undertrail talking to his friends on the Facebook live without any fear despite being lodged inside the Firozepur Central jail. The undertrail has been identified as Aman Kumar.
The police statement said that two mobile phones were recovered after the incident was brought to police's notice and the video had gone viral. Police also lodged a case against the undertrail who made the call from inside the jail. A case under Section 42 of the Prisons Act was registered against Aman and another person. Police added that "Non-linear junction detectors (NLJD)" helped find the mobiles used inside the jail. Any devices with electronic circuit can be identified using the NLJD.
Ferozepur Central Jail and mobile phone recoveries
This is not the first time that the police recovered mobile phones from inside the Ferozepur Central Jail. As a matter of fact, the jail has time and again been in news for mobile phones recovered from inmates.
In June 2022, the police probing the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, had found a connection between the case and gangsters running their operations from inside the jail in Ferozepur. Two phones and sim cards were seized by the police in the search then, said reports. The matter of prisoners keeping mobile phones with them in jails across Punjab had become a serious political issue too.
Unfulfilled promise by Punjab jail minister
Punjab jail minister Harjot Bains had last year promised that all the jails in the state would be free of mobile phones (used by gangsters and undertrails) within six months. However, the present case only exposed the truth behind the claims and points to the deep rooted problem of inmates, undertrails and gangsters running their operations from behind the jail using mobile phones and other means.
