Recovery of mobiles from jail puts focus back on lax security arrangements in J&K prisons

On Thursday, the J&K CID recovered 18 mobile phones, 13 SIM cards, Bluetooth devices, chargers, earphones and other accessories from the barracks of Kot Bhalwal Jail

The recovery of mobile telephones and other high-tech devices from inside high security Kot Bhalwal Jail has once again put focus back on lax security arrangements in Jammu and Kashmir prisons.

On Thursday, Crime Investigation Department (CID) of J&K police and paramilitary during a raid recovered 18 mobile phones, 13 SIM cards, Bluetooth devices, chargers, earphones and other accessories from the barracks of Kot Bhalwal Jail on the outskirts of Jammu city. These devices were reportedly being used by the jailed militants to stay in touch with their colleagues outside and carry out their activities.

This is not the first time that such devices have been recovered inside Kot Balwal jail premises. On April 12 last year, three mobile phones and SIM cards were recovered from the possession of jailed militants in a similar raid by the police.

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Prior to that in January 2019, police had recovered mobile phones, sharp-edged weapons and deep freezers from the same high-security jail, where the UN-designated terrorist, Masood Azhar, was once detained. There are over 500 prisoners, including Pakistani and local militants, lodged in the jail.

On March 12, 2018 the National Investigation Agency (NIA) during a raid on Central Jail Srinagar had recovered over two dozen mobile phones, SIM cards, pen drives, iPod and other objectionable items. The Srinagar Central Jail attracted the attention of the security agencies after Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Naveed Jatt alias Abu Hunzullah, who was lodged there, escaped from a hospital while being taken for medical check up on February 6, 2018.

In August 2018, the NIA had arrested Feroz Ahmad Lone, a deputy jail superintendent, for allegedly hatching a conspiracy inside Central Prison, Srinagar to recruit youth into the militancy. Immediately after Jatt’s escape, “higher and high risk” category prisoners were shifted secretly from Srinagar Central Jail to various prisons in Jammu region including Udhampur, Kotbalwal and Hiranagar.

A probe conducted by a special investigation team (SIT) of J&K police in the conspiracy to kill Kashmiri lawyer and TV panelist Babar Qadri last September had also revealed that it had been hatched in Central Jail Srinagar.

“The prisons in Kashmir were already known for being safe heavens for militants and their handlers. However, now the menace has spread to Jammu jails as well. Role of some jail officials in facilitating the entry of mobiles and other items for money can’t be ruled out,” sources said.

“Apart from the money factor, there are some black sheep in J&K police, who are working for the militants and facilitating the entry of banned items into prisons. The mobile phones recovered in the latest raid were costlier ones loaded with all applications which gave militants easy access to stay in touch with their associates and pass directions for militant activities,” they added.