Scanner to detect phones, contraband in prison soon: DGP R Sreelekha

Thrissur: The newly-appointed Jail DGP R Sreelakha who on Friday visited Viyyur Central Jail here, said that a scanner would be installed in the jail to detect smuggling of contraband substances and mobile phones into the prison. Her visit comes in the wake of several complaints including that against T.P Chandrasekharan murder case convicts conducting parallel administration at the jail and making calls from mobile phones from their cell phones at will.

The reports said the four convicts of the TP murder case Kodi Suni, Kirmani Manoj, Shafi and T.K Rajeesh and some political prisoners were conducting parallel administration by flouting jail rules. There were are also complaints of drugs including ganja and contraband pills along with mobile phones being smuggled into the jails by prisoners with the help of jail guards.

After her visit, the DGP declined to tell mediapersons about issues related to TP murder case convicts and smuggling of drugs into the jail. She said that there was a shortage of jail staff and that issue needed to be addressed. According to the data given by jail officials in 2015, the central prison which could accommodate 525 prisoners had 800 persons lodged in it. And the Jail had only 78 wardens, whereas, the recommended prisoner-guard ration is 6:1. As per the recommended ratio, there should be 133 guards.