In Almora jail, inmates found with mobile phones again

Almora: Inmates of the Almora district jail have yet again been found in possession of mobile phones and SIM cards, raising serious questions on prison security. In a raid conducted by Nainital jail superintendent, Jagat Singh Pangti, on Saturday, three mobile handsets and 10 SIM cards were recovered from prison inmates. Meanwhile, two inmates -- Ankit Bisht and Mahipal -- even had narcotics on them. Both the prisoners are Kotdwar residents. According to police, Ankit has accused Mahipal of demanding extortion money.

Following the raid, a probe was launched to find out how the devices got inside the jail. This is the fourth time in a span of the past few months when Almora jail prisoners were found with mobile phones. Investigation into the previous three incidents is still ongoing.

When asked about the incident, sub-inspector Brijmohan Bhatt told TOI, “A case has been lodged in the matter and we have launched a probe. All the inmates are being questioned. We will be able to divulge more information on this after our investigation is complete. Meanwhile, we have tightened the security inside the jail.” Earlier on October 4, three mobile phones, four SIM cards, narcotics substances and cash worth Rs 1.29 lakh were found in a search operation inside Almora jail. Transactions worth lakhs of rupees were also found in the account of an employee working inside the jail.