Ex-MLA held for smuggling phone to relative in Muzaffarnagar district jail

Muzaffarnagar: Former BSP MLA from Burhapur Mohammad Ghazi has been arrested for allegedly facilitating the illegal delivery of a mobile phone to his relative and ex-MLA Shahnawaz Rana lodged in Muzaffarnagar district jail, officials said.

The arrest was made late Wednesday night.

Superintendent of Police (City) Satyanarayan Prajapat said Ghazi was summoned for questioning at New Mandi police station on Wednesday in connection with a mobile phone that was recovered from Rana inside the district jail.

Rana, who has been lodged in jail since December 5, 2024, is currently under judicial custody in connection with a case related to the obstruction of a GST raid at a local steel factory.

"During interrogation, it was found that Ghazi was involved in smuggling the mobile phone into the jail to deliver it to his relative, Shahnawaz Rana," SP Prajapat told reporters.

Police officials confirmed that Ghazi is related to Shahnawaz Rana. He is the father-in-law of Rana's son.

"Based on the evidence, Ghazi was taken into custody. A mobile phone was recovered from the possession of Rana during a search operation inside the jail." Burhapur assembly constituency falls in Bijnor district.

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are probing how the mobile phone made its way into the high-security facility. Further legal action is being initiated against all those involved, the police added.