Mapusa: Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Mapusa has remanded Rovina Lobo, a prisoner at the Colvale Central Jail, in two days of police custody. She was arrested by the Colvale police on Saturday after a suspended security guard, during interrogation, directly implicated her in receiving illegal prison contraband.Police said that the investigators are currently interrogating Lobo to trace the broader supply chain, identify the intended end-recipients inside the facility, and determine if additional inmates or staff are involved in the nexus.The arrest follows a joint security operation conducted at the prison complex by the police and prison administration under the supervision of the inspector general of prisons on Friday. “The surprise sweep was across four major inmate blocks, including those housing convicts, under-trials, and high-security prisoners,” sources in the jail said.“Security personnel recovered six mobile phones and two dismantled handsets, exposing widespread security breaches within the cells,” said an official involved in the operation.The crackdown originated earlier this week when Goa Human Resource Development Corporation (GHRDC) security guard Asha Chodankar was intercepted at the jail gates during a routine check. Chodankar was found in possession of 236g of suspected ganja and 2g of charas concealed inside a water bottle, besides three mobile phones, three ATM cards, a PAN card, and a voter ID. Police later claimed a total seizure of 560g of ganja from the network.JMFC Mapusa granted bail to Chodankar, denying a police custody request on the grounds that the intercepted contraband fell under the small-quantity category under the NDPS Act. The bail was subject to conditions, including regular reporting to the Colvale police to assist in the probe.
