117 mobile phones seized in 15 days from prisoners across three Delhi jails

Officials said that some of the gangsters caught with cell phones belonged to the gangs led by Sunil Maan alias Tillu Tajpuriya and Sonu Tajpuriya

Authorities have recovered at least 117 mobile phones over the last 15 days from prisoners incarcerated at the jail complexes of Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli, prison officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.

A mobile phone is a prohibited item inside jails, and Delhi prison department recovers around 100-200 of this contraband from jails in the Capital each year. (HT Archive)

A mobile phone is a prohibited item inside jails, and Delhi prison department recovers around 100-200 of this contraband from jails in the Capital each year.

Prisons spokesperson Dheeraj Mathur said, “The 117 phones were found across all the three jail complexes. After suspending five jail officers on December 18, when eight cell phones and sharp-edged objects were recovered in Mandoli jail, prisons director general Sanjay Baniwal had given directions to the superintendents of all prisons in Delhi to form search teams and detect cell phones. These phones are part of the recovered items in the last fortnight. These seizures will continue in future also to control the menace of these unauthorized articles/products in jails.”

Officials said that some of the gangsters caught with cell phones belonged to the gangs led by Sunil Maan alias Tillu Tajpuriya and Sonu Tajpuriya.

Separately, DG Baniwal held a second security review meeting with lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Thursday. LG Saxena had last year started holding fortnightly review meetings in the backdrop of many prisoners using cell phones and corruption allegations against jail officers.

The issue of prisoners using cell phones to run their criminal network was highlighted during the murders of Punjabi singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala in May 2022 and of gangster Jitender Gogi in September 2021. In both cases, investigating agencies found that prisoners lodged in Delhi jails had actively coordinated the attack and planned the hit over the phone from behind bars.

During the investigation into Moosewala’s murder, police also found that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail, had used the cell phone belonging to an Indian Mujahideen operative.