Punjab: ASI, 3 others arrested for trying to smuggle mobile phones hidden in carrom board into jail

Even as policemen around the country and Punjab set exemplary standards as frontline troops putting their lives on the line to combat Covid-19, an assistant sub

Even as policemen around the country and Punjab set exemplary standards as frontline troops putting their lives on the line to combat Covid-19, an assistant sub inspector (ASI) was arrested with three others for allegedly trying to smuggle mobile phones hidden in a carrom board into Ferozepur Central Jail.

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Two other men with the ASI claimed to be social workers offering Covid-19 safety kits who also wanted to gift the carrom board to a jail inmate.

Jail officials said ASI Rakesh Kumar with Sonu Puri and Deepak alias Deepu, visited the jail and asked for a meeting with the superintendent to “discuss social work”. They said they wanted to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, masks and sanitiser bottles to the medical staff in jail to ensure they remained protected against Covid-19.

However, when they said they also wanted to ‘gift’ a carrom board to inmate Deepak alias Tinnu, the jail officials got suspicious and searched them, to find five mobile phones, two chargers, three earphones and two data cables hidden in the carrom board.

Investigations revealed the duo with the ASI were not members of any organisation involved with social service.

The search also revealed Rs 38,500 with a Samsung mobile phone, police official Iqbal Singh said.

The accused were booked under Section 52-A of the Prisons Act, 1894, 420, 511 IPC on the basis of the jail official’s statement.

The four, including inmate Tinnu, were arrested.