Goa

Colvale jail is home to one of the largest drug rackets in the country: Telangana police

Raid on a high profile rave party in a five-star hotel in Hyderabad revealed drugs were supplied by a Goa-based gang; former IG Prisons Goa, admits that “with a little bribe” it is easy to smuggle a sim card and a cell phone into Colvale jail

Herald Team

PANJIM: The investigation into the Gachibowli, Telangana star hotel drugs raid has yet again put Goa to shame after one of the biggest countrywide drugs racket being operated from the Central Jail in Colvale, Goa was unearthed.

The cover blew after the Cyberabad police and Telangana Anti-narcotics Bureau (T-NAB) conducted a raid on a high profile rave party that was held in a star hotel in Gachibowli on the intervening night of February 25 and 26, The Hindu reports.

The Cyberabad police had seized three used plastic covers of cocaine (each containing one gram before consumption), a white-coloured paper used for drug consumption, and three cell phones during the raid which brought several high profile persons in the net.

Colvale jail however has had a notorious history of violations. The jail administration recently imposing a complete ban on the use of cell phones in the jail premises is almost a proof that something is fishy. An order issued by Superintendent of Central Jail, Colvale, S B Gaonkar, said, “In order to curb the misuse of cell phones inside the jail premises, undersigned imposes complete ban on use of cell phones in jail premises i.e. beyond Gate B.”

In the past the jail administration has conducted several raids and seized hundreds of mobile phones inside the jail. A woman was caught smuggling a phone into the jail. A jail guard was caught with drugs in a raid conducted a few months ago.

Former DIG of Goa who also served as Inspector General of Prisons, Bosco George says that the possibility of a racket being run from the jail cannot be ruled out. “With a little bribe, it is easy to smuggle a sim card and a cell phone inside the jail and rackets can be operated over cell phone,” he said. He also recollects of having recommending to make the Colvale jail a no mobile phone area. “The administration needs to ensure that these incidents do not happen,” he said

SCROLL FOR NEXT