india

Updated: Apr 06, 2019 20:21 IST

A Tamil Nadu Special Police Service constable was dismissed from service after he was allegedly found transporting mobile phones for inmates at the high-security Mandoli prison in the national capital.

The TSP (8th battalion) are tasked with providing security to the Tihar and Mandoli prisons and the sacked cop, Anbarasan, from Sivaganga district, was posted on duty at Mandoli, housing over 3700 inmates. The Central Reserve Police Force are also part of the security cover.

Confirming the sacking of Anbarasan, Additional DGP (Armed Police), M Shakeel Akther said the constable has been relieved from service.

“Following a tip-off, searches carried out in the prison cells resulted in the seizure of cell phones from some inmates. We zeroed on the constable and he confessed to the offence. The constable has been summarily dismissed from service under Article 311 of the Constitution,” Akther said, adding that further investigation is on.

Rarely invoked, Article 311 provides for either demotion or removal of government servants on the ground of misconduct leading to conviction or criminal charge.

“He has not been remanded and it is not required. Further action will be taken after the inquiry,” Akther maintained.

According to a TSP official, the cop could not have acted alone since the prison has a multi-layer security arrangement. As such, the inquiry is to identify others involved in this and how long this was going on, he added. The dismissed cop’s mobile phone conversations reveal that he was operating for quite some time.

“Scrutiny of CCTV footage showed Anbarasan hiding the mobiles in his shoes,” the official said.

Audio clips of the conversations of Anbarasan with the associates or relatives of inmates clearly show the cop demanding bribes for smuggling mobile phones, tobacco products and other banned objects.

According to sources, the constable who had made his batch mates believe that he doesn’t know Hindi is seen speaking the language fluently in those tapes. To facilitate smuggling, he operated during night shifts.

In one of the conversations, Anbarasan says the bribe amount was short by Rs 5,000. He is also heard telling him that for Rs 25,000 tobacco can’t be taken inside together with other things.

The Mandoli prison complex, built to reduce the pressure on Tihar and Rohini prisons, has advanced security features.

Last year, photographs of a convict at the Puzhal Central Prisons in Chennai living a life of luxury with TV and other modern comforts created a furore in Tamil Nadu. It has led to the clamp down in the high-security prison.