TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Central Aguada Jail officials are spending sleepless nights since notorious convict Michael Fernandes, who is skilled at jailbreaks, is sharing the space with five Nigerians who are among 20 of their countrymen, lodged at seven different cells in the jail.
Prison sources told Herald that Michael, who had escaped from Aguada jail last month and who was subsequently caught by Goa police while hiding in Kolhapur, is kept in cell number 6 ~ on the first floor of the jail ~ along with five Nigerians and nine local under trials.
“Michael is lodged in the same cell where he was lodged before escaping from the Jail mid-October. The jail officials are on their toes also because he is kept along with the Nigerians who had gone on the rampage and attacked the police more than a week ago,” said a senior official. “It’s a tough time we are going through.”
What’s more interesting is that Michael is spotted wearing jeans with casual shirt unlike other convicts who are wearing prison uniforms.
The prisons department has ensured that Nigerians are not kept collectively in a single cell for security reasons. Around 25 of them are lodged in cell numbers 2, 3, 6, 11, 12, 13 and 14 together with other local under trials and convicts. The remaining are kept at Mapusa judicial lock up and Sada sub jail in the same pattern.
The prison is reportedly overcrowded, as a total of 130 prisoners including the present foreigners’ lot are presently lodged as against the capacity of 90, which excluded cell numbers 1, 8 and 9.
The Nigerians are also being given special privilege, at least in terms of the food being served to them. Sources said they are served chicken biryani and fried rice after they refused to eat the meals cooked and served in the jail. It was however not known whether other inmates were served the same food or they had to be satisfied with the routine jail food.
Meanwhile, it is also learnt that special security arrangements have been made within the jail campus at the time when prisoners are taken out of the Cell from 8 to 10am and 3 to 5pm.
