City jail inmates continue to get their fix

A thousand liquor bottles and more than 100 kgs of ganja were also seized.

M C Vishwanathaiah, DIG (Central Prison), told Deccan Herald that the desired items reached the inmates easily. “The confiscation is really a matter of concern for us. Though we have all possible security checks to stop such activities, they (inmates) sometimes manage to procure them by various means,” said the official. Bribing prison staff is one of these “means.”

‘Technology’

The technology adopted is simple. The items are simply thrown into the jail from outside, over the high walls. “The associates or family members of the prisoners tie the ganja packet or the mobile to a liquor bottle and throw the stuff at a predetermined spot. The inmate will stand there to collect it. The drop zone is decided while associates or family members visit prisoners,” explained the DIG.

Most inmates use cell phones to keep in touch with their families. But there are hardcore criminals inside, who find it the easiest way to connect with their associates outside. Some prison staffers were also involved in such illegal activities.

“We have information about certain staffers facilitating the inmates to procure those items. In January this year,  warden Jyothamma was caught red-handed while trying to smuggle ganja into the prison. Such staffers also charge money to supply the contraband and cell phones,” he said.

Big money is made in these clandestine supplies. “A packet of ganja weighing 10 gm to 20 gm trades for around Rs 500 to Rs 600,” revealed a prison staffer.  

Vishwanathaiah said the prison administration was taking all steps to curb the menace. “The jail houses more than 5,000 inmates. Over 500 people visit the jail to see relatives. But they bribe staff to send such stuff to relatives inside,” he said.

He said prison officials had informers among the inmates. These informers alert the officials on the use of cell phones, ganja or liquor. “We conduct surprise checks very often and confiscate those things.”

Prison officials have also strengthened the patrolling near the outer wall to prevent the “aerial route of supply.”

“Once a prisoner is caught using such items, we don’t allow him to meet his relatives and punish him according to the jail manual. Sometimes, we have to transfer them to other jails as a punishment,” he said.