TN jails searched after expose on prisoners having good time

Chennai/Coimbatore: Searches were conducted Sunday at Central prisons in Tamil Nadu, days after photos of prisoners of Puzhal jail at Chennai using smartphones and enjoying the choicest food went viral.

The searches were carried out in Coimbatore, Salem and Cuddalore jails by special teams of jail and police personnel for several hours beginning Sunday morning, officials said.

The teams wanted to ascertain if banned items like smartphones and cigarettes had been smuggled into the prisons, they said.

Law Minister Shanmugam said steps were being taken to prevent smuggling of mobile phones into the prisons.

A senior official said searches at Chennai Puzhal Central jail concluded days ago following which 18 televisions were removed from A-class cells and five prisoners shifted to other jails at Palayamkottai, Salem, Tiruchirappalli and Coimbatore.