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| November 26, 2005 | Saturday | Shawwal 23, 1426 |
116 prisoners shifted to other jails : Sukkur jail searched
SUKKUR, Nov 25: More than 2,000 personnel of police, Rangers, FC and jail officials carried out an extensive search in the central jail-I of Sukkur on Friday and shifted around 116 prisoners to other jails of Sindh. The operation was conducted in view of last week’s bomb blast at the boundary wall of the jail.
During investigation it was found that prisoners were directly or indirectly involved in the blast.
The jail authorities claimed that during the search, 36 mobile phones were recovered from the possession of prisoners besides other objectionable items.
The authorities claimed that five police mobiles were sent with every jail van carrying the prisoners to other jails so that they could not escape.
Addressing a press conference in Sukkur on Friday, Sindh Inspector General Prison Brigadier (rtd) Ayaz Mughni said that every prisoner was thoroughly searched during the operation and no explosives or arms were recovered from their possession.
He said no prisoner was tortured during the search.
Brigadier Mughni claimed that they had planned to search the jail just 12 hours before the operation and called 80 officers and other staff from other jails to assist in the operation.
He said not a single official of the Sukkur central jail-I was allowed to take part in the operation. He said mostly those prisoners were shifted to other jails who were awarded the death sentence or were responsible to create law and order problems.
The IG, however, declined to disclose the names of the prisoners sent to the other jails.
Replying to a question about the bomb, he said the bomb was of low intensity and caused a small hole in the wall.
He declined the opinion that the bomb was planted from inside the jail.
Replying to a question about cell phones, the IG said that they estimated around 300 mobile phones working in the jail premises. But they recovered only 36.
It was believed that a large number of mobile phones were either sent out of the jail or were hid somewhere inside the jail, the IG said.
He admitted that mobile phones could not be brought into the jail premises without the involvement of jail officials.
Mr Mughni said that a list of jail staff was under preparation in this connection and action would be taken against corrupt officials.
He said that a jailer was also taken into custody during the operation as he was interfering unnecessarily in the task.
Mr Mughni said the Sindh government and judiciary were taken into confidence before the operation and agencies concerned were put on high alert.
He said the inquiry of the bomb blast was under way and it would be made public as soon as it was completed.
He said that concrete measures have been adopted to avert such incidents in future.
Our Hyderabad correspondent adds: Around 24 prisoners, including four condemned prisoners, have been shifted to the central jail of Hyderabad on Friday from the Sukkur central prison following a search operation.
The first batch of prisoners has reached Hyderabad safely and more prisoners are likely to be shifted as the operation continued in the Sukkur jail.
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