The Goa govern ment is considering a dras tic step to tackle the grow ing problem of narcotics and mobile phones inside the Modern Central Jail at Colvale — shifting some convicts to prisons outside the State. The proposal comes amid mounting concern over the ability of inmates to access prohibited substances and communication devices despite repeated security measures, exposing serious questions over how effec tively the prison is being monitored and controlled. The government is exam ining the option of trans ferring select hardened convicts to prisons in other States, particularly those suspected of having estab lished networks inside the jail. The move is aimed at disrupting such links and preventing inmates from using the prison as a base to coordinate activities outside. The development as sumes greater significance following Wednesday’s ar rest of a woman security guard employed through the Goa Human Resources Development Corporation (GHRDC), who was allegedly caught attempting to smug gle narcotics into the prison.
With the case now under investigation, police are try ing to establish how prohib ited substances are entering the jail, who is supplying them and how the contra band is reaching inmates. Authorities are also examining the circulation and use of mobile phones inside the prison, raising the possibili ty that the two problems could be linked to wider inmate networks. At present, Colvale Central Jail houses 111 convicts — 107 men and four women — besides 493 male undertrials and 37 female undertrials. With more than 600 inmates housed in the facility, authorities face the challenge of maintaining control.
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The proposed transfers are being viewed as one way of breaking established inmate networks rather than merely tightening checks at the prison gates. Select convicts could be shifted to jails outside Goa where they would be separated from associates and net works allegedly built up within Colvale. The government’s concern over mobile phones inside the jail, however, is not new. In January, the High Court of Bombay at Goa took cognisance of allegations that an un dertrial had threatened complainants and witnesses from inside the prison and directed the State government to in stall jammers in and around the Modern Jail, Colvale. The case had come to light after an accused facing rape charges admitted to calling the victim from the jail. The trial court subsequently wrote to the jailor seeking action under the Prison Rules and a report on the matter. Police later confiscated a mobile phone allegedly found in the ac cused’s possession.
During the investigation, police also found charging points at several locations inside the jail cells. The High Court observed that the installation of such charging points could not have taken place without the knowledge and consent of the authorities in charge of the jail. That observation strikes at the heart of the current concern. Mobile phones and charging facilities inside a high-security prison point to possible failures in surveil lance and accountability within the prison system. The latest drug-smuggling case now adds another lay er to those concerns. If narcotics can allegedly be brought into the prison through a security guard and mobile phones can continue to find their way into cells, the gov ernment faces questions about whether existing safe guards are actually working or merely being tightened after each breach.
