Surprise check in Mysuru Central Prison yields mobile phones and SIM cards

A surprise check carried out by officials in Mysuru Central Prison on December 16 has yielded a total of nine mobile phones, 11 SIM cards, two mobile chargers, and one charging cable.

According to Mysuru Central Prison Senior Superintendent V. Seshumurthy, the surprise inspection was carried out between 10.55 p.m. on December 16 and 1 a.m. on December 17.

Jail officials and staff conducted the inspection under the guidance of the Chief Superintendent.

The seized mobile phones, SIM cards, chargers, and charging cable constituted banned items and were handed over to the jurisdictional Mandi police station. Mr. Seshumurthy said a case has been registered.

Meanwhile, Alok Kumar, Director General of Police (DGP), Prisons and Correctional Services, Bengaluru, arrived at Mysuru Central Prison on December 17 as a surprise visit.

He appreciated the jail staff for conducting a surprise check and announced a prize of ₹30,000 for them, Mr. Seshumurthy said.

Mr. Kumar also led a search operation in the jail premises after his arrival. However, the two-hour search did not yield anything.

He told reporters that the night search operation on December 16, which had continued till the wee hours of December 17, was part of a special drive taken up by the Prisons Department across the State.

During his visit to Mysuru Central Prison, the DGP said he interacted with inmates as well as the jail staff. Upon hearing their grievances, he promised to make efforts to redress these.

Mr. Kumar’s visit also comes close on the heels of an attempt to supply ganja to a prison inmate by concealing the narcotic substance inside clothes. Ganja, in the form of paste, was packed in carbon paper and placed in two pairs of pants that were to be handed over to the undertrial prison. However, the ganja was detected after Karnataka State Industrial Security Force personnel assigned for security at the entrance examined the clothes.

The DGP also referred to other attempts to supply ganja to inmates and expressed confidence that the local police will investigate the matter and bust the racket involving people inside the jail and outside.

Pointing to the attempts made to throw ganja and other banned items into the jail premises, Mr. Kumar said an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Intrusion Detection System will be installed in Mysuru Central Prison on a trial basis.

The system will also be installed in the prisons at Bengaluru and Belagavi on a trial basis.