‘Cell’ phone access helps criminals have a free run in Punjab jails

Notwithstanding tall claims by successive governments to curb the activities of hardcore criminals lodged inside Punjab prisons, almost all major crimes, including the two-rocket-propelled grenade attacks the state has witnessed in the recent past, were hatched inside the jails.

Notwithstanding tall claims by successive governments to curb the activities of hardcore criminals lodged inside Punjab prisons, almost all major crimes, including the two-rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attacks the state has witnessed in the recent past, were hatched inside the jails.

Punjab Police officials claim that in almost every high-profile crime, inmates in various jails have emerged as the key links. Several drug smuggling cartels are also being run by gangsters while sitting inside the jails, police officials claimed. (HT file photo)

An analysis of these serious heinous crimes done by the police reveals how the criminals, mainly gangsters lodged in different jails of Punjab, still enjoy a free hand. They have not only managed to stay in touch with other criminals outside but have arranged for shooters and criminals to commit crimes outside.

In some cases, jail inmates have been found helping the most-wanted criminals, and pro-Khalistani activists settled abroad to carry out anti-India terror activities.

Be it the high-profile murder of famous Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu Moose Wala that shocked the world, or the RPG attacks that raised serious questions about the law and order situation in the state, gangsters lodged inside the jail were vital links in the conspiracies who were in touch with the outside world through mobile phones.

In the case of the murder of International kabaddi player, Sandeep Nangal Ambia, popularly known as a gladiator, during a Kabaddi tournament in village Mallian Kalan near Nakodar, in Jalandhar five accused who were arrested first include Fateh Singh alias Yuvraj, a resident of Sangrur; Kaushal Chaudhary of Naharpur Roopa in Gurugram in Haryana; Amit Dagar of village Maheshpur Palvan in Haryana; Simranjeet Singh alias Jujhar Singh alias gangster of village Madhopur in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh.

Of them, the four accused persons were historysheeters and were facing over 20 criminal cases mostly of murder and attempt to murder. They were brought on production warrants from different jails and revealed how they hatched the conspiracy to kill the Kabbadi player on the pretext of other NRIs settled abroad.

As per a statement by then DGP VK Bhawra, Fateh confessed that following the instructions from Snover, an NRI, who had formed his own Kabaddi federation, while inside the jail, he along with Amit Dagar, Kaushal Chaudhary, Jagjit Singh, Lucky Patiyal and Sukha Duneke arranged shooters for the execution of Ambia.

Moose Wala’s killing biggest blot on prison system

The entire conspiracy to kill Moose Wala on May 29 this year was hatched inside the jail. Right from providing the logistics, arms and involving gangsters from other states, the conspiracy was hatched from inside the jail. As per police probe till now, gangster and mastermind of the killing Lawrence Bishnoi and Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar took the help of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Bhagwanpura and Bishnoi were lodged in Tihar jail and they involved another gangster Saraj Sandhu alias Mintu, who was lodged in Bathinda jail to provide the local handlers for the attack and help shooters at the local level. From Bathinda jail, Sandhu, on the pretext of Bhagwanpuria, provided a Corolla car and other logistics to the shooters.

Inmates had a key role in two RPG attacks

In the two RPG attacks, one on Punjab Police’s intelligence wing headquarters in Mohali on May 10 and another on Sarhali Police station in Tarn Taran on December 10 this year, local logistics were provided from inside the jail on the behest of another Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa.

In the Mohali RPG attack, the police cracked the case with the help of one accused Nishan Singh, a criminal who was out on bail. Nishan met the other accused in the case when he was lodged in Faridkot jail. Nishan and another accused Charat Singh, who is still at large, provided logistics to the attackers, including RPG and arranged their stay in Punjab.

In the RPG attack in Sarhali police station as well, the police probe has found that one of the accused Ajmeet Singh had hatched the plan while inside the jail. He was lodged in Goindwal Central jail for killing a shopkeeper around two months ago and had been in contact with gangster Landa through a mobile phone, the probe so far has revealed.

Gangster Tinu planned his escape from jail

Earlier, gangster Deepak Tinu, one of the accused in Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder, had fled from the custody of the Mansa police on October 2 this year.

Tinu was on a production warrant, and reports had surfaced that he had hatched a conspiracy to flee while inside the jail. A mobile phone was also recovered from Tinu and one more accused in Sidhu Moosewala’s murder case when they were in the Goindwal jail in September.

Similarly, in October, the special task force (STF) busted a nexus of gangsters, who were operating from inside the Goindwal jail in collusion with a senior jail official. He was later arrested by police in Rajasthan.

Punjab Police officials claim that in almost every high-profile crime, inmates in various jails have emerged as the key links. Several drug smuggling cartels are also being run by gangsters while sitting inside the jails, police officials claimed.

Why Punjab jails are in mess?

Crackdown on jails in Punjab has increased in recent years, especially under this Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

As per prison department figures, to date, more than 3,600 mobile phones have been recovered from inside the jail till October this year - which is the highest ever in any single year.

More than 15 jail wardens, including four superintendents, have also been suspended after mobile phones were recovered from the jails. But experts say such is the deep-rooted nexus and hefty corruption involved in the smuggling of mobiles that the big criminals still manage to get this facility inside.

“Since I was intelligence head of Punjab as well, keeping a tab on prison houses was the first lesson we used to teach officials. But the system of corruption and political intervention in jails has rotten the prison department to such a level that mere cosmetic changes won’t work. I have seen that whenever any hardened criminal gets lodged in jail, politicians would often call superintendents for facilities, which are not available even outside,” said former DGP (prisons), Shashikant.

Punjab jails are also overcrowded. Against the total capacity of 26,094 inmates inside 25 jails, the state has nearly 30,780 inmates lodged as per figures available on the department’s website updated on December 20 this year.

IG Prisons, Roop Kumar Arora, said efforts are on to curb the menace of mobile phones inside jails and various steps are in the pipeline.

“Under Union Home Ministries special project, we are going to install a tower for Harmonious Call Blocking System and this is likely to give long-term solutions for blocking usage of mobiles inside jails. Jammers are not the permanent solution to the problem, as the biggest challenge before us is the mobiles being thrown from outside. For this, we are also going to strengthen our internal vigilance system as well,” said Arora.

DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav, when asked about the origins of the crimes from inside the jails, in a recent press conference, admitted that few hardened criminals have managed to stay connected with the gangsters outside via mobile phones.

“It’s a serious matter, and the prisons and the state police are jointly working on various strategies to end the connection of inmates with criminals outside. The state government will soon come out with many tough measures to end this menace,” the DGP said.