Recent spate of crimes, internet calls: What led sleuths to Bhondsi Jail DSP

A day after the deputy jail superintendent (DJS) of Bhondsi Jail was arrested in a raid for allegedly supplying mobile phone SIM cards and narcotics to inmates in

A day after the deputy jail superintendent (DJS) of Bhondsi Jail was arrested in a raid for allegedly supplying mobile phone SIM cards and narcotics to inmates in jail, the police on Friday said the arrest of the DSJ and his aide was facilitated by an investigation launched by the police, after a spate of recent crimes in Sohna, Pataudi and Rewari areas revealed that jail inmates were increasingly using mobile phones to give directions to their aides outside to plan and execute crimes.

HT Image

On Thursday, DJS Dharmbir Chautala and his alleged associate, Ravi alias Goldy, were arrested after a raid during which 11 4G SIM cards and 230 grams of charas (a type of cannabis) were allegedly recovered from the jail superintendent’s house. A preliminary probe had found that Ravi, who was earlier arrested for drug-peddling, used to allegedly source the contraband and supply it to Chautala, who then sneaked it into the jail and charged ₹20,000 for a 4G SIM and ₹5000 for a packet of 5 grams of charas from inmates.

A senior police official privy to the investigation, requesting anonymity, said that in recent crimes, a pattern was noticed about communication from jail between inmates and some suspects, which led the police to investigate the link. During the probe, it was found that the DJS was involved in supplying the SIM cards and other contraband items to jail inmates.

Some recent incidents of crime further deepened the suspicion of the police. “On June 26, a brick kiln owner was shot dead in Sohna by three men, who had arrived in an Alto car. The police arrested the Alto car owner, who told the police that he had received a WhatsApp call from an associate in jail, who told him to provide his car to the inmate’s cousin for the crime. In another recent double murder case in Rewari, a criminal lodged in Bhondsi jail had told his henchmen to execute the crime. In Pataudi, a gangster had made an extortion call from a jail. The crime branch investigated the common link of gangsters increasingly using WhatsApp or voice-over internet protocol calls to run their network which led to the trail,” said the senior police official, adding that senior jail officials are exempted from routine checking, which might have helped the DJS to allegedly sneak in contraband items.

On Friday, a crime team of city police questioned several inmates, who were allegedly in touch with the accused deputy jail superintendent, about the alleged nexus. At least two SIM cards and 12 mobile phones were recovered from the inmates after a search operation.

Another police official, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Several gangsters run their extortion rackets from jail premises using phones. Kaushal, who was arrested last year, had told investigators that his henchmen, who were lodged in Bhondsi Jail, ‘ran his book’ from the jail. From cigarettes and mobile phones to drugs, everything is smuggled and sold at inflated prices in the jail.”

Sandeep Malik, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Sohna, whose team led the raid on Thursday, said, “ During preliminary questioning, the accused DSJ had confessed to supplying sulpha on one or two occasions. He has revealed the names of certain inmates to whom he had supplied mobile phones. His associate Ravi was earlier arrested. During his arrest, he came in touch with DJS Chautala. Ravi was aware of the network of certain criminals outside the jail and used to supply drugs, phone and other contraband items for them. He later started supplying items to Chautala, who charged hefty sums from inmates.”

The accused men, Chautala and Ravi, were produced in a district court on Friday and sent to judicial custody in Bhondsi Jail.