Prisoners' 'Outer World' lifeline snapped, 74 mobiles seized in 2026 in Ferozepur Jail
Ferozepur, March 10, 2026: In a major crackdown on the use of illegal communication devices inside the jail, authorities at Ferozepur Central Jail have seized a total of 74 mobile phones during the current year so far, snapping what officials described as prisoners’ “lifeline to the outer world.”
Data shows a steady rise in the recovery of mobile phones from jails in recent years: 70 in 2019, 130 in 2020, 265 in 2021, 437 in 2022, 469 in 2023, 500 in 2024, 649 in 2025, and 74 already seized in 2026 so far.
According to jail authorities, six mobile phones were recently recovered from inmates Vikas Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Manpreet Singh, Rajan alias Kali, Sunny and Raman Kumar. Another touchscreen mobile phone without a SIM card was recovered from Vikramjit Singh. During the search, about 26 grams of suspected drug powder were also recovered from a pocket.
Officials said that earlier this year, 40 mobile phones were seized in January and 27 in February. With the recovery of seven mobiles during the current month, the total number of mobile phones confiscated in 2026 has reached 74.
Apart from mobile phones, the jail staff also recovered several banned items, including tobacco, bundles of bidis, drugs, chargers, adapters, SIM cards, cigarettes and zarda sachets.
Such contraband is often smuggled into the jail through various methods, including throwing packets over the high boundary walls, concealing them in clothing or body cavities during family visits or parole returns, and occasionally due to lapses at security checkpoints.
A case under the Prisons Act has been registered on the complaint of Assistant Superintendent Gurinderpal Singh. Deputy Superintendent is conducting further investigations with Sukhdev Singh, IO.