This story is from September 6, 2017

Jailbirds play smart, prefer touch-button phones

Jailbirds play smart, prefer touch-button phones
Representative image
AHMEDABAD: Illegal cellphones have been found quite frequently at Ahmedabad central jail, the high security prison housing a number of high-profile inmates. From July 3 to September 4, the prison authorities reported finding seven phones along with sim cards and batteries on the jail premises.
Jail authorities said that according to the new policy, they had been reporting each phone found. One cellphone is found almost each week.
Three cases were registered in July, two in August and one in September.
On September 4, MG Rabari, a jailor at Ahmedabad central jail, filed a complaint with Ranip police station against an unidentified person after a phone was found on a window above the TV in the Circle Yard barrack number 2/4 at 5:30 pm. The phone was found with battery and sim card, the Ranip police said.
On August 29, a search team had found two mobile phones, two sim cards and five batteries at 5.30pm near the boundary wall located near court building on the new jail premises. One phone each was also reported on August 18 and 21.
“Some of the phones don’t have IMEI numbers on them and even the serial numbers have been scratched off,” said a senior prison official. “According to protocol, all cases are referred to city police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) as all the phones also undergo forensic examination.”
The official further said that the primary purpose of the exercise is to initiate investigation into who is smuggling sim cards and mobile phones into the jail.

Prison officials said that a majority of the phones are found from the new jail premises.
“All the seized phones have numeric keypads, i.e. they are not smartphones,” a police officer investigating the cases said. “The likely reason the old phones are preferred by inmates is that smart phones have higher battery consumption. Most of the old phones are less expensive smart phones.”
The investigating officer said that all the phones had been seized from the premises and not from the barracks. In one instance, the phone was dismantled and buried in the ground, the officer said.
Jail phone booth to get 10 more lines
Senior prison department officials said that the project to double the capacity of the existing phone booth at Ahmedabad Central Jail is already in the pipeline.
“At the moment, there are 10 lines (telephones) which the inmates can use to call their family and friends (using coupons) at the designated time for this,” a prison official said.
“Soon, 10 more lines would be added so that the time allotted per person can be increased. This should eliminate the need for illegal calls from the premises,” the official said.
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About the Author
Parth Shastri

Parth Shastri is senior correspondent at The Times of India, Ahmedabad. He reports on crime as well as issues related to traffic in the city, forensic investigation, archaeology and emergency medical services.

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