Team Herald
PANJIM: The Prisons Department on Sunday suspended three jail staffers — a jailor, assistant jailor and jail guard — attached to Colvale jail, in connection with the recent raid at the Central Jail where 67 mobile phones, around 1 kg narcotics substances suspected to be ganja and 200 beedi packets were confiscated.
Following preliminary inquiry, the Prisons Department has suspended jailor Krishna Usgaonkar, assistant jailor Ankush Madkaikar and jail guard Keshav Gawas.
Sources said more jailors are under scanner and are likely to be placed under suspension.
It may be recalled that the raid on Colvale Jail was conducted under the supervision of Inspector General of Prisons Hemant Kumar on October 24. The raiding team comprised of jail officials and a separate team of policemen from the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB).
Following the raid, sources said an FIR has been registered at Mapusa Police Station against unknown persons for smuggling in the banned items. “An internal inquiry was also initiated. During the preliminary inquiry, the involvement of these three jail staffers has come to the fore,” sources said.
Earlier in June, IRB staff deployed at the entry point had caught two persons red-handed in possession of narcotics substance suspected to be ganja worth around Rs 4,000, which was being allegedly smuggled into the jail.
Similarly, in March, a jail guard attached to the Central jail was caught red-handed with narcotic drugs.
