LAHORE, June 21: Four jail officials were suspended from service after they allegedly took bribe from the Punjab prisons minister, who disguised as a common visitor, for arranging his meeting with a prisoner of the Camp Jail and violated security protocols on Friday.

A senior jail official told Dawn that Minister Chaudhry Abdul Waheed Arain reached the jail as a visitor in a surprised move and asked for a meeting with a jail inmate.

Meeting In-charge Assistant Superintendent Jail Kashif Rasool and his subordinates — head warders Latif Shah and Sajjad Husain and warder Saifullah — neither took the CNIC nor seized the cell phone of Mr Waheed after they were offered bribe.

He said according to his information one of the officials received Rs100 as bribe from the minister, adding that an inquiry, however had been ordered to probe the matter.

However, a handout issued here on Friday said Punjab Prisons Minister Abdul Waheed Arain suspended officials for taking Rs1,300 in bribe from him for arranging a meeting with a prisoner in the Camp Jail.

The minister has also ordered to issue a show-cause notice to the jail superintendent.

The minister warned that he would conduct surprise visits to jails throughout the province and the corrupt staff would be transferred. He summoned the IG Prisons, the DIG and the Superintendent and issued strict instructions.