Ludhiana police have dragged 22 individuals into a legal web for allegedly dismantling the security perimeter of the city’s Central and Borstal Jails. Four FIRs, registered between September 15 and October 7, expose a brazen network supplying mobile phones, drugs, and other contraband to inmates. The list of accused reads like a who's who of institutional failure: 17 inmates, two Assistant Superintendents, two security guards, and a warder.
The investigation gained traction after officers seized 86 grams of opium and four mobile phones from the barracks of Ludhiana Central Jail on October 4. That recovery acted as a trigger. SHO Gagandeep Singh stated that statements from prisoners and the alleged confession of a contractual security guard revealed the modus operandi. Inmates were using the illicit smartphones to photograph contraband and send images to associates outside, who then circulated them on social media.
The rot extends to the Borstal Jail, which houses offenders aged 18 to 21. Inmates Jatin, Sahil, Abhishek, and Lovepreet alleged that Assistant Superintendent Harminder Singh and warder Baljit Singh provided them with phones and drugs in exchange for cash. Baljit Singh, who was transferred to Ropar Jail in July, allegedly continued the racket from his new posting. Superintendent Gurpreet Singh confirmed that Harminder Singh is already under suspension in a separate case, while Baljit Singh remains in police custody.
The most shocking reveal came from the room of Pritpal Singh, a contractual security guard deployed via the Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation (PESCO). Police recovered 170 grams of suspected narcotic powder from his quarters. Singh allegedly admitted to colluding with inmates to supply narcotics while on duty. His arrest led directly to the detention of Assistant Superintendent Rishabh Goyal, whose role in facilitating the network is now under intense scrutiny.
Another network involving PESCO guard Mohammed Arbaz and inmates like Surjit Kumar and Simran Singh has also been uncovered after the recovery of narcotic capsules at the Borstal Jail. Gurpreet Singh clarified that PESCO guards are contract employees, not regular department staff, and their services are terminated immediately upon such findings. Reports of the probe have been forwarded to the Punjab Additional Director General of Police (Prisons), who will now determine if systemic monitoring failed or if this was isolated criminality.
The Punjab police are now tracing Google Pay transactions to map the financial flow of this illicit trade. With the ADGP (Prisons) in the loop, the department faces a critical decision: whether to overhaul the entire contractual security framework or impose stricter internal audits across all state jails.