Ludhiana: A departmental inquiry into the seizure of 86gm of opium and four mobile phones from inmates at Ludhiana Central Jail has led to the arrest of an assistant superintendent, raising fresh concerns over the alleged involvement of prison staff in facilitating the entry of prohibited items into Punjab jails.Assistant superintendent Rishavpal Goyal was arrested by Division No. 7 police Friday after a probe conducted by jail authorities found his alleged role in helping inmates obtain contraband recovered during a surprise inspection inside the prison.Confirming the development, ASI Dinesh Kumar, incharge of Tajpur Road police post, said jail authorities had initially got a case registered against nine inmates after opium and mobile phones were seized from them. “After the seizure, the jail authorities conducted a departmental inquiry during which the involvement of assistant superintendent Rishavpal Goyal surfaced,” he said.Police said the jail administration subsequently wrote to Ludhiana police seeking action against the official. Based on the findings of the inquiry, Goyal was nominated in the FIR and taken into custody. Investigators are now probing the extent of his involvement and whether a larger network was operating inside the prison.Officials said the recovery was made during a surprise check, when four mobile phones, 86 gm of opium and empty pouches were allegedly found in the possession of inmates Sonu Chaurasia and Ajay Kumar alias Ghora. The remaining inmates allegedly helped conceal the contraband, leading to the registration of a case against all nine prisoners.The latest arrest comes at a time when prison authorities are already grappling with allegations of corruption and security breaches involving jail personnel. In Sept, additional superintendent Balvir Singh of Ludhiana Central Jail was suspended and booked for allegedly accepting money to provide preferential treatment and better accommodation to undertrials lodged in GST fraud cases. Officials had alleged that payments ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh were accepted for facilitating such favours.Police officials said the investigation into the latest case is ongoing and efforts are being made to establish how the contraband entered the jail and whether others were involved in the operation.
