Complaint against Tejpal over mobile phone in jail

Goa prison authorities Monday filed a complaint against former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal and others after nine mobile phones were found in the prison complex during a sudden inspection Sunday.

The complaint was filed after a preliminary inquiry, Additional Inspector General of Prisons Gopal Parsekar told reporters here.

Without revealing details, Parsekar said that prima facie a probe revealed that the phone was being used by Tejpal.

But he also said his office has ordered a detailed inquiry into whether the phone really belonged to Tejpal.

"We have a thorough system in place to check contraband. How these nine phones were sneaked in, needs to be found out," Parsekar said.

Police sources said a first information report has not been filed yet and that authorities were still "studying the complaint".

Sunday's surprise inspection at the Sada sub-jail in Vasco, 40 km from here, by the district administration had netted nine mobile phones, MP3 players, cigarettes and tobacco pouches.

Tejpal has been in judicial custody for nearly two months, after a former junior colleague accused him of raping her twice during a conference in Goa held in November.