Intelligence report: ‘Jail inmates using mobile phones to plan attacks’

Report says under trial prisoners often bribe policemen escorting them.

LAHORE:

The use of mobile phones and narcotics by prisoners at jails across the country is widespread and may even be on the rise, The Express Tribune has learnt.

According to an intelligence report by the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) of the Ministry of Interior (MoI), prisoners detained on terrorism charges are using cellular phones to communicate with their accomplices in the Federally Administrative Tribal Areas (FATA). Some prisoners are also using mobile phones to plan criminal activities and demand extortion money, it said.

The report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, said the under trial prisoners (UTPs) were provided cellular phones and narcotics by their relatives, friends and accomplices at judicial lock-ups.

It said the policemen escorting the UTPs are often “bribed.” In some cases the officials are even drugged by those who sneak phones and narcotics inside the bakhshi khanas [judicial lock-ups], it said.

“The policemen [who take bribes] ensure search-free entry of the UTPs in jails… other means to transport phones and narcotics include hiding phones in concrete blocks of construction material and food items,” the report stated. It further said that Qari Waqas, detained at Kot Lakhpat jail, and Shamsul Islam at Haripur jail, had been regularly communicating with their contacts in the FATA to plan terrorist attacks and collect monies.

The report warned that preventive measures like installation or rectification of cell phone jammers were needed. It also suggested said crackdowns to recover mobile phones and narcotics at jails across the country.

Pujab IG nspector General for Prisons Mian Farooq Nazir said that some prisoners had been found using mobile phones at jails. He said the vigilance cell had recovered 6,363 mobile phones in the recent campaign from jails in the province. “Action has also been taken against 539 police officials involved,”

Nazir said the CM had released a Rs333 million grant for installation of mobile phone jammers at 10 prisons by June 30 in the first phase.

“PCO’s will be established at jails where jammers are installed. They have already been set up at Gujrat, Gujranwala and in the Camp Jail Lahore,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2014.