28 mobile handsets, 15 batteries recovered from Nagpur jail

Five prisoners had escaped from jail on March 31 by jumping over 23-feet compound wall

As many as 28 mobile handsets and 15 cellphone batteries were recovered from the high security Central Prison here during a check conducted after five inmates escaped from the jail last week, police said.

The handsets were recovered from various locations in the jail in a check conducted during the last 24 hours, a press release issued by the police said here last night. Five prisoners had escaped from the jail on March 31 by jumping over the 23 feet compound wall after cutting the bars of a nine feet tall window in the cell where they were lodged in barrack number six, police said.

They were identified as Bisen Singh (35) from Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, Mohammad Saleb Salim, Satyendra Gupta (24), both from the city facing charges under MCOCA, Prem Nepali from Nepal, detained under Arms Act and Akash Golu (22) who faced robbery charges. The police launched a search for them, but the five are yet to be traced. Nagpur jail superintendent Vaibhav Kamble was suspended following the incident. Additional Director General (Prisons) Meera Borwankar had rushed to the jail here and placed under suspension five sentries (sepoy) Mangesh Prajapati, R R Patil, Ramesh Dhekle, Ashok Bhandarkar and Sanjay Thokal for dereliction of duty.

Two jail officials R G Purekar and S C Mahashirke have also been placed under suspension, prison sources said.

Director General of Police (Anti-Corruption) Praveen Dixit, who had earlier served as Nagur city's Commissioner of Police, arrived here on Friday night to conduct a high-level probe in the jail break incident.