Alert guard foils plan of drugs supplier to flee from jail ward

A suspected drug supplier's plan to flee from a hospital ward in Mumbai has been foiled by an alert jail guard. The accused had used a mobile phone to hatch the plan while being admitted for a stomach infection. The jail authorities have registered a case against him.

MUMBAI: An alert jail guard has foiled plans of a suspected drug supplier to flee from the prison ward of the JJ Hospital, where he was admitted for stomach-related issues.

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The accused, identified as Asif Ali Firoz Poiserwala, 33, who was arrested with 3 kilograms of Mephedrone worth ₹4.66 crores in March, used a mobile phone while being admitted to the prison ward of the JJ Hospital and hatching a plan to flee. Poiserwala had a stomach infection and was therefore admitted to JJ Hospital’s jail ward on May 6.

The jail authorities have registered a case against him. According to the police, Poiserwala was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Cell with 705 grams of Mephedrone in his possession. After interrogating him a police team visited his residence and recovered 2.405 kilograms more of the contraband material during his house search.

“While in the jail ward, he used to go to the bathroom frequently. A jail guard deployed on duty suspected something wrong and followed him. The guard then noticed that a mobile handset and charger were hidden behind the tube light inside the bathroom,” said a police officer from JJ Marg police station.

The jail guards then checked the mobile phone and from the WhatsApp chats exchanged by the accused with some others noticed that the accused was making plans to flee from custody.

“The guards on duty immediately informed their seniors in jail and a case was registered based on a complaint lodged by the jail officials. We have registered an offence for disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and that of the Prisons Act, 1894 for the penalty for introduction or removal of prohibited articles into or from prison and communication with prisoners and prison offences,” said a police officer from JJ Marg police station.