Rashmi Ranjan

Bhubaneswar: Two days after mobile phones, SIM cards and contraband were found and seized from inside the Jharpada special prisons here by a special squad, the DG, Prisons Santosh Kumar Upadhyay made a surprise visit to the jail on Monday evening to take stock of the situation.

Speaking to media, Upadhyay said, “As many as 26 mobile phones and huge quantity of ganja has been seized from inside the jail within a month.”

“After Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 came into force, a special ward for transgender will be set up at the jail. Similarly, separate wards will be built for the elderly inmates,” he added.

Moreover, 10 separate cells will be built for 10 dreaded criminals, he said, adding that stringent action will be taken against the erring warders. 

Notably on Sunday, the Chief Warder of the special jail was suspended following the seizure of cannabis, mobile phones and other incriminating articles from prison cells on Saturday.

The chief warder, identified as Sudarshan Barik, has been placed under suspension following a preliminary inquiry into the detection, said a jail official adding that charges will be framed against him accordingly.

The other articles which were found inside the jail included four SIM cards, five mobile chargers, one pen drive and five mobile batteries. Besides, 250 grams of unclaimed ganja like substances was also seized from the jail premises.

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