UP: 4 Siddharthnagar jail personnel suspended over allegations of sale of contraband behind bars

Siddharthnagar (UP), Oct 10 (PTI) Four jail personnel, including a senior official of the district jail here, have been suspended with immediate effect following serious allegations of contraband being sold in the jail premises, officials on Thursday said.

Those suspended include Deputy Jailor Triloki Nath, Head Warden Phoolchand Yadav, Warden Umesh Kumar and jail employee Saurabh.

The suspensions were ordered by DIG Jail SK Maitreya after a surprise inspection by the district officials on September 25 uncovered evidence of cannabis possession and mobile phones in the jail.

During the inspection, a prisoner under the POCSO Act pleaded to meet the district magistrate and, upon being called, revealed that contraband (cannabis) was being sold within the jail. The prisoner produced 20 grams of cannabis hidden in a matchbox and provided information about its hiding place to the officials.

The district magistrate then initiated a magisterial inquiry. During the investigation, the prisoner made serious allegations against the deputy jailer, accusing him of selling contraband and threatening prisoners who refused to purchase it. The prisoner implicated three other jail personnel in the activity.

Newly appointed Jail Superintendent Sachin Verma confirmed on Thursday that DIG Jail had investigated the allegations and found prima facie evidence of the deputy jailer's involvement in the case. As a result, the DIG suspended the four jail employees. PTI COR CDN AS AS