Mobile phone found in Taloja jail at Navi Mumbai

A mobile handset was found in one of the cells of Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai. The jail houses some high-profile inmates and the prison authority has reported the matter to Kharghar police.

A mobile handset was found in one of the cells of Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai. The jail houses some high-profile inmates and the prison authority has reported the matter to Kharghar police.

Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai houses more than 2,000 prisoners, including some high-profile under-trial prisoners such as ex-Mumbai cops Sachin Vaze, Pradeep Sharma, Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor and Abu Salem. (HT FILE)

Senior inspector Sandipan Shinde of Kharghar police, said, “An unclaimed phone was found inside the prison. The matter has been reported to our police station and we are investigating the matter”.

Shinde added that as there was no SIM card in the phone, they are trying to trace the owner/user of the device through its international mobile equipment identity (IEMI) – a unique serial number – to find out how it had reached the jail.

The police are not clear if any inmate had used the mobile phone. Police sources said that once the phone’s owner is identified, they would be able to answer all the questions.

Taloja jail houses more than 2,000 prisoners, including some high-profile under-trial prisoners such as dismissed Mumbai Police officers Sachin Vaze, Riyazuddin Kazi, Sunil Mane and Vinayak Shinde, retired encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma and some white-collar crime accused such as Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor and convicts such as gangster Abu Salem, who is serving life imprisonment.