Criminals find safe haven in jail

BELGAUM: When Sanjay, a resident of Sambra, got a phone call asking him to vacate his rented house within few hours or face the consequences, he couldn't believe his ears. Reason: The caller, who identified himself as Parashya, is in Central Prison at Hindalga and facing trial in a murder case.
Vikram, a successful businessman residing in one of the posh localities in city, was forced to pay off some gangsters when they paid him a visit at his place of business.The caller had threatened him of dire consequences if any complaint was registered against him. Again, the call had been made from prison by one Ramesh.
The list goes on. Of late, cases of undertrials and gangsters threatening their potential targets for extortion from within the confines of prison walls are on the rise. Most of the victims are tenants, property dealers, businessmen and others.
But prison authorities deny that inmates are using cell phones inside the premises. "Surprise checks are being conducted by us regularly in all the cells and particularly those which are suspected to be vulnerable. But we have not found any such thing", says prison superintendent K B Kadli.
"On Tuesday morning I have verified barracks of undertrials and local gangsters but none of them had any cell phone in their possession", Kadli stated. Checks are also conducted randomly and during holidays and other occasions but no cell phones have been found, he said.
He acknowledged that some slip couldn’t have been happening when the undertrials are taken to hospitals and courts where they meet their people. "When some of the suspects were interrogated they say that their enemies want them to be shifted to other jails. Hence, they level allegations of this nature", maintained Kadli.
Mobile phones and other luxuries made available to prison inmates are not new though the authorities deny it. A few years ago, when then deputy commissioner Atulkumar Tiwari and SP B Dayananda had conducted checks at the prison, they were surprised to find a huge number of cell phones, gym instruments and other luxury items being made available to prisoners.