LEAs comb Malir District Jail

No restricted items were found in possession of any prisoner or from the barracks

KARACHI: Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) conducted a four-hour sweep and search operation on Thursday morning in Malir District Jail. A large contingent of Sindh Rangers was stationed inside and outside the jail during the operation to deter unauthorised persons from entering or exiting the premises.

The operation was in continnuation of the search operation conducted in Karachi Central Jail, last month.



According to Malir District Jail SSP Muhammad Hassan Sahito, the operation was conducted on the recommendation of jail officials given the surge of incidents of terrorism in the city and overcrowding in prisons. A letter was also written to the Sindh Rangers in this regard, stating that Malir District Jail had the capacity to accommodate 1,800 but 5,600 inmates were imprisoned within its premises.

During the search operation, prisoners were stopped from leaving and even appearing for court proceedings. The families of the prisoners were also not allowed to enter and many families gathered outside the jail as a result.

Rangers' personnel thoroughly searched the jail barracks during the operation. A bomb disposal squad was also stationed there and sniffer dogs were used in the operation.



No restricted items were, however, found in possession of any prisoner or from the barracks. The barracks were searched thoroughly, one after another, but covering the whole jail was not possible due to insufficient police personnel.

SSP Sahito said that such a large-scale operation had never been conducted in Malir District Jail before. He added that only criminals convicted in low-profile cases were imprisoned there. Prisoners involved in serious crimes were not present in Malir District Jail.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2019.