M A I N   N E W S

Jail Supdt held for embezzlement
Sanjay Bumbroo and Pawan Kumar
Tribune News Service

Earlier in May also, the police had raided the jail complex on charges of bungling in distribution of ration. Prisoners were being given less ration. The vigilance team had seized records pertaining to the mess and canteen after finding certain discrepancies.

Mr R P S Bajwa, SSP Vigilance, said that a vigilance enquiry was marked and embezzlement worth Rs 9 lakhs from February 18 to May 18 had been detected in the distribution of ration. Total embezzlement of Rs 36 lakhs in a year had been detected.

A case under Section 13 (1) (d) R/W 13 (2), Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and under sections 409, 120-B, IPC, has been registered at police station vigilance bureau.

The SSP said other persons arrested include Gurdeep Singh (head warden) and Baldev Singh (canteen incharge), while Bahadur Singh, storekeeper was absconding.

According to information, the action was taken after getting green signal from higher authorities.

Mr Bajwa said the bureau would investigate every aspect, including smuggling of narcotics in the jail premises, VIP facilities to prisoners and providing cell phones to prisoners etc.

Capt S P Singh, while interacting with media, termed the charges leveled by the vigilance as baseless. He said the vigilance had raided the jail premises in May also but found nothing concrete. He said they were trapped by the vigilance due to political reasons.

The then district magistrate and district police chief had conducted a surprise raid last year following information of attempt to jailbreak in the high security jail where many foreign nationals, including Pakistani nationals, are also lodged.