Two Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation (PESCO) employees and four jail inmates have been booked in two separate cases after narcotic substances were recovered during checking at Ludhiana Central Jail and the Borstal Jail.
The two cases have brought under scrutiny the alleged role of jail employees in bringing or supplying contraband inside the prison premises. Police are investigating how the narcotics entered the jails and whether more employees or inmates were involved. Dinesh Kumar, in-charge of Tajpur Road police post under Division Number 7 police station, said two separate cases had been registered on complaints received from jail authorities against the PESCO employees and inmates.
He said further investigation was underway.
In the second case, 30 red-coloured intoxicating capsules were recovered from inmate Mandeep Singh during checking at Borstal Jail. A case was registered against him under the NDPS Act and the Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Act. Further investigation led to the alleged involvement of PESCO employee Mohammad Arbaz. Police have booked inmates Mandeep Singh, Tunna Kumar, Simran Singh and Surjit Kumar, and PESCO staff Arbaz in connection with the case.
Preliminary investigation indicated that Pritpal was allegedly supplying narcotics inside the jail while performing his duty, according to police. Mandeep told investigators that the capsules had been supplied to him by another inmate, Tunna Kumar, according to police.
