Mobile found on BKI man in Ferozepur jail

Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, May 23

The Ferozepur police have booked Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist Harcharan Singh, currently lodged in the Central Jail here, following the recovery of a mobile phone from his possession.

Was nabbed in 2019

• Harcharan Singh was arrested by State Special Operation Cell on June 5, 2019 for allegedly providing funds and firearms to sleeper cells of the BKI
• In March 2020, the NIA court had chargesheeted Harcharan and three others — Kulvinderjeet Khanpuria, Ravinderpal and Jagdev — for waging war against the state

Harcharan is lodged in the high-security zone — “Chakki cell”, meant for hardcore criminals, gangsters and terrorists — inside the jail. As per information, during checking of the cell in block No. 3, the jail officials recovered the smartphone with SIM from Harcharan. He is suspected to have been using it to carry out nefarious activities from the jail.

Sources said after the recovery, as jail warden Chhinder Singh tried to hand it over to Assistant Jail Superintendent Sukhjinder Singh, the accused allegedly grabbed the phone and smashed it. Smoke started emanating from the phone and its body started melting. However, the jail officials retrieved the SIM.

Harcharan has been booked under Section 52-A of the Prisons Act at the city police station along with another inmate, Prince, a resident of Tarn Taran district. A phone with SIM was also recovered from Prince, a gangster, during checking. Jail Superintendent Parvinder Singh said the incident took place during routine checking of barracks. He said they were trying to ascertain how the phone reached the “Chakki cell”. Notwithstanding stringent security measures, mobile phones are being from the jail premises on a regular basis.