Ferozepur Jail security breached again: Unabated smuggling of mobiles, banned items raises security concerns
So far recovery of 203 mobiles in 2025, 510 in 2024, 468 in 2023
Strict visitation regulations and denying parole to inmates caught with contraband can help mitigate this growing menace.
Ferozepur, March 11, 2025: Despite a three-layer security system, smuggling mobile phones and other banned items into Ferozepur Jail continues unabated. For the second consecutive day, unidentified individuals managed to throw packets over the high prison walls, further exposing lapses in security.
Following yesterday's seizure of nine mobile phones and tobacco sachets, today’s recovery included five keypad mobile phones, two touchscreen phones, 48 bundles of bidis, 187 packets of ‘zarda’ tobacco, and two mobile chargers. So far this year, prison authorities have confiscated 203 mobile phones and various contraband items. Last year, a staggering 510 mobiles were recovered, while the count stood at 468 in 2023.
Despite the installation of 80 CCTV cameras and the deployment of 35 to 40 security personnel per shift, the inflow of mobile phones, drug pills, and other restricted materials remains a major challenge. The prison, designed to accommodate 1,136 inmates, is currently overcrowded with 1,625 prisoners and under-trial detainees, including 30 gangsters and 10 to 12 high-profile criminals.
Security measures, including 150 to 200 personnel stationed in three-layer security, have failed to curb the influx of banned items, raising serious concerns about prison management. The jail’s location—bordered by open land on one side and high-rise residential buildings on the other—makes it vulnerable to such smuggling attempts.
At one point, authorities had planned to relocate the jail to the nearby village of Khai, but the project was shelved due to a lack of funds. Experts suggest that only stringent security measures, strict visitation regulations, and denying parole to inmates caught with contraband can help mitigate this growing menace.