BASURI DESAI
PANJIM:The drug smuggling case at Colvale Central Jail has taken a new twist with the arrest of Manthan Chari, currently lodged in the high-security prison for his alleged involvement in the Ahmed Devdi murder case. Chari is suspected for coordinating the supply of ganja balls thrown over the jail wall earlier this week.
This development comes days after three persons, Gautam Talwar, Samuel Pujari, Jaffer Mulla, all residents of Mapusa, were arrested and a minor boy, who was produced before juvenile justice board, for allegedly throwing seven ganja-filled balls into the jail premises early Tuesday. The contraband was recovered from the passage between watchtowers 3 and 4, weighing 1.397 kg and valued at Rs 1.40 lakh.
Police investigations have revealed that the arrested group was attempting to supply the narcotics to Manthan and others accused in the Devdi murder, indicating an organised attempt to sneak contraband into the jail from the outside.
Speaking to O Heraldo, Colvale PI Sanjit Kandolkar confirmed that they have taken the custody of Manthan and have booked the accused under NDPS case.
“We are presently investigating the matter thoroughly and cannot reveal anything further at this point of time”, he said.
What has raised eyebrows is the method used in the smuggling attempt is rolling drugs into balls and throwing them over jail walls, a tactic prominently featured in several OTT crime shows, including Netflix’s ‘Black Warrant’ and other prison-based web series. In these shows, drugs and mobile phones are shown being thrown over prison boundaries during low-security hours, a method now being replicated in real life.
The incident has drawn attention to how criminals, even those already inside jails, may be picking up techniques from dramatised content available online, making it harder for authorities to pre-empt or detect such activities.
Colvale Central Jail, considered one of Goa’s most secure prisons, has now come under fresh scrutiny for security lapses. The fact that contraband was thrown directly into a key corridor between two watchtowers, raises questions about blind spots and the possibility of external-internal coordination.
The arrest of a minor in the case has also highlighted the use of young individuals in criminal networks, possibly to evade strict legal action.
Ahmed Devdi, a resident of Mapusa, was murdered last year in a high-profile case that led to the arrest of multiple accused, including Manthan. His name now surfacing again, this time in connection with jail-based drug supply suggests the accused are continuing to remain active through outside contacts.
Police have booked all accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether more such deliveries were planned or previously carried out.
Police officials are now drawing a link between the method used in this crime and those shown in the Netflix series ‘Black Warrant’, where balls of drugs and cell phones are lobbed over prison walls under the cover of darkness.
The Colvale case, eerily similar in execution, signals a disturbing trend. Criminals inside and outside jails are watching and learning from OTT crime content.
“It’s copy-paste from what you see on screen. They know where to throw, how to avoid CCTV zones, and how to coordinate from inside,” said a senior police officer.
Sources in the prisons have said that mobile phones and personal LED televisions are still being used by some of the prisoners in Colvale.
However, Inspector General of Goa Police Keshav Ram Chaurasia, holding the charge of prison security, said that stricter preventive measures will be now initiated in the prison security.
“Prisoners having communication outside prison, can be or cannot be. We cannot say anything on it but we will take preventive measures to curb such activities inside and outside prisons”, the IGP said.
While Charles Sobhraj once dazzled law enforcement with elaborate escapes and mind games, today’s criminals are plugged into a world of criminal tutorials streaming 24x7. From jail smuggling to planning crimes, digital crime dramas have become masterclasses in modern crime operations. “Back then, Sobhraj had to invent. Today’s gangs have Netflix,” said a retired investigator. “What we thought was entertainment is now being used as education,” he mentioned.
It is pertinent to note that two years ago the State government appointed a superintendent of police (SP) as Inspector General of Prisons and brought Colvale Jail’s management fully under police command in a bid to tighten security and introduce reforms. While these measures may have closed many traditional loopholes, the current incident suggests that criminals are now evolving with new-age methods learning from crime series, avoiding CCTV zones, and exploiting lesser-guarded spots. As prisons become more fortified, the tactics are becoming more sophisticated turning Goa’s jail security into a cat-and-mouse game between enforcement and criminals armed not with weapons, but with strategies borrowed straight from the screen.