Prisons get devices to detect hidden phones

New Delhi: The Delhi Prisons Department has procured 10 non-linear junction detectors from a US-based firm to detect mobile phones and metal objects hidden inside jails by inmates, officials said on Saturday. A senior jail official said these detectors can even trace objects buried at a depth of up to two feet in the ground or concrete. “We had ordered two non-linear junction detectors in 2021 and used them on a trial basis.

The outcome was very satisfying, following which the department decided to procure more devices from a US-based organisation, Orion,” the official said. Each device costs Rs 15 lakh and the department has spent Rs 1.5 crore for 10 such devices.

These devices were procured recently and distributed in jails, he said. “The device can detect mobile phones, SIM cards and metals through concrete and soil up to the depth of one to two feet,” he said. Jails in Delhi -- Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini -- have a capacity of 10,026 inmates.

However, 17,906 undertrial prisoners (UTP) and 2,165 convicts are currently lodged in these three jails, according to the official. So, it becomes very important for the authorities to prevent the use of mobile phones inside jails and check for improvised weapons to ensure the safety of inmates, the official said.

After the brutal murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya inside Tihar jail on May 2, the Delhi Prisons Department had issued a circular to remove “dangerous objects” from its wards that could be used by inmates to make improvised weapons.

Tajpuriya was stabbed “92 times” with “improvised weapons” by four members of the rival Gogi gang, according to police.