Tihar inmates may be radio-tagged after jailbreak case

To prevent incidents of jailbreak in the future, the Delhi government has asked the Tihar Jail authorities to start using radio-frequency identification (RFID) bands for prisoners to trace their movements.

To prevent incidents of jailbreak in the future, the Delhi government has asked the Tihar Jail authorities to start using radio-frequency identification (RFID) bands for prisoners to trace their movements.

Inmates-in-Tihar-Jail-India-s-largest-prison-The-New-Delhi-based-detainment-centre-has-witnessed-several-dramatic-jailbreaks-over-its-history-HT-File-Photo

Last month, two undertrials escaped from the prison by scaling a 15-feet wall of the prison. The incident prompted the government to look into the security at Tihar.

The bands, which are worn on the wrists or in some cases can be tagged on the legs, are commonly used in prisons abroad. Delhi home minister Satyendra Jain told reporters on Tuesday that he had asked authorities to conduct a study into the efficiency of the bands.

“I have asked them to study the possibility of prisoners using security band on ankles. If they remove it, it will be known. Besides, their movement will also be known,” Jain said.

Tihar authorities said that although they would look into the possibility, it would be difficult to implement the idea. Jail officials said that the prison was overcrowded with more than 14,000 prisoners, while the capacity is actually less than 7,000.

The RFID bands, official said, when activated show the location of each prisoner at a particular radio frequency which in the case of the jail, could be the perimeter of the wards inside each jail. Once a prisoner leaves the ward, which is out of the radio frequency area of the band, the control room will immediately be alerted.

Jain also said he has asked the PWD to look into the possibility of strengthening the prison walls. The jail officials in their inquiry report have pinned the blame on the PWD authorities for doing a shoddy job in building the walls.

Sources said in most areas of the jail, the material used in building the 2 feet thick and 15 feet high wall is poor, which proved to be an advantage when two prisoners.