Mobile phone recovered from Sabarmati Central Jail, police register case

A prohibited mobile phone was recovered during a routine search operation at the Sabarmati Old Central Jail on Friday evening, prompting jail authorities to lodge a formal complaint and seek a police investigation into possible violations of prison security.

According to officials, the device was discovered during a search conducted between 4.30 pm and 5.15 pm in Barrack No. 4/2 of Yard-44, located in the Bada Chakkar section of the Old Central Jail. The operation was carried out by a jail search squad following specific inputs.

Mohsin Khan Fakhru Khan Pathan, in-charge jailer and member of the search squad, stated in his complaint to the Ranip police station that a Nokia mobile phone without a SIM card, along with its battery, was found concealed inside a closed bathroom adjoining the barrack. The phone, valued at approximately ₹500, was recovered after jail staff broke open a suspicious section of the bathroom structure.

Jail authorities said the ownership of the device could not be immediately ascertained and that it appeared to have been unlawfully brought into the prison premises.

Officials said the recovery raises serious concerns about possible misuse of the mobile phone by inmates, including whether it was used for unauthorised communication or linked to any criminal activity. The complaint also flags the possibility of internal lapses and does not rule out the involvement of jail staff in smuggling the prohibited item into the facility.

Based on the complaint, Ranip police have registered a case under Section of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections of the Prison Act. 

Senior jail officials said a detailed probe would be conducted to determine how the device entered the high-security prison and to identify all individuals involved. Authorities reiterated that strict action would be taken against anyone found responsible, as part of ongoing efforts to curb illegal activities inside jail.