Phones smuggled in chapatis, Goa jail bars outside food for inmates

The inmates of the Central Jail in Goa will no longer be allowed to receive food from visitors, a notice from the jail superintendent has said.

According to a recent notice from the jail superintendent, this is after a “full-fledged canteen” was made functional at the jail. Officials claim this was aimed at preventing phones from being smuggled into the jail.

In the notice, Shankar B Gaonkar, Superintendent Central Jail, Colvale, said: “This is to inform all the inmates of Central Jail Colvale and their visitors that no prisoner shall be allowed to receive food from their visitors…Prisoners can purchase additional food other than regular diet from the canteen. The visitors are permitted to deposit the requisite amount of money into the accounts of inmates which they can utilise to purchase food items from the jail canteen”.

Story continues below this ad

Jail authorities said the decision has been taken to prohibit smuggling of contraband items, especially mobile phones, into the jail. Officials said there had been several instances where the relatives of inmates conceal prohibited items, including phones, tobacco and narcotics, in food packets and hand them over to the prisoners during the visitation hours.

Among the most frequently seized items, according to officials, are mini mobile phones – typically smaller than the size of an index finger, which are known for good reception. An official, requesting anonymity, said: “In recent seizures, it was noticed that mini-mobile phones of a specific brand are being hidden inside the packaging of food items and chapatis and passed on to the inmates by their families when they come to visit”.

This comes two months after four policemen, including a deputy superintendent, were suspended for their alleged involvement in smuggling narcotics into the jail. A delegation of Goa Human Rights Commission, in its report in October last year, had urged the authorities to set-up mobile jammers in the jail premises to prevent the use of mobile phones within the premises by the inmates and to ensure effective functioning of CCTVs.

The jail authorities had also installed a ‘smart card phone system’ wherein seven phones were installed for the inmates to contact their family members and lawyers last August. The authorities had claimed that the initiative was meant to curb incidents of mobile phones being smuggled inside the jail.

Source link