Mobile phone, tobacco seized inside Sabarmati Central Jail, inmate booked under Prison Act

A surprise inspection at Sabarmati Central Jail led to the recovery of a mobile phone, SIM card and banned tobacco products from an inmate working in the jail’s electrical room, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

A complaint filed by jailer Mohsin Khan Fakhru Khan Pathan states that a special squad conducted a search around 1 pm on August 27 following a tip-off. During the operation, prisoner Bhavesh alias Bobdo Kanubhai Kaskar was found using a black Lava mobile phone inside the electrical department of Section-2 of the new jail complex.

The search team, which included jail constables, seized the Lava handset with battery, an Airtel SIM card, and 18 packets of Budhalal tobacco, all classified as contraband within the jail premises. The mobile phone, valued at around ₹100, was found active at the time of seizure.

On interrogation, the inmate allegedly admitted ownership of the device, SIM card and tobacco packets and it was immediately sealed for forensic examination.

A senior jail official said, “The recovery of a mobile phone and tobacco products inside a high-security facility raises serious concerns. The phone will be analysed to ascertain whether it was used for unauthorised communication or criminal activity.”

The complaint invoked provisions under Section of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections of the Prison Act, 1894, which prohibit possession and use of communication devices and tobacco products within jail premises.

Officials said the contraband was not introduced by any jail employee, and further investigation will focus on identifying possible external collaborators and whether the device was used to facilitate unlawful activities from inside the prison.

The seized items have been handed over to Ranip police station for registration of an FIR and further probe. Authorities have also referred to instructions issued by the Additional Director General of Police, Gujarat, on curbing contraband inside prisons.