Tihar warden arrested for sneaking in drugs

A 29-year-old warden posted at Tihar Jail was arrested on Saturday for smuggling drugs inside Jail number 4. According to the police, they had recovered 112 grams of charas and 35 grams of marijuana from Sandeep, the accused, while the security guards were checking and frisking the wardens, which is a regular practice.

“On Saturday, Sandeep, who is posted in Tihar since May 2015, was being frisked when the guards found total 150 gms of contrabands. He was subsequently arrested. It is not known from where he got the drugs. However, he was stopped at the gate itself,” said an investigating officer.

“On April 2, at around 5.45 am, Sandeep was being checked and frisked by the TSP team when they found him carrying the drugs. He was subsequently arrested and has been placed under suspension,” said Mukesh Prasad, Tihar Jail Spokesperson and DIG (Prisons).

In May last year, two convicts died after reportedly inhaling an unknown drug thought to have been smuggled into the Tihar Jail premises. The duo were serving sentences for murder and attempt to murder respectively, and were found dead at Jail number eight and nine where they were lodged. Jail authorities had alleged that they were “reportedly sniffing”, and hence suspected drug abuse to be cause behind their death.

In several cases, Liquor, drugs, cigarettes, mobiles and blades are routinely smuggled into the Asia’s largest jail. Tennis balls, socks and poly-packs are thrown across the high walls of the prison containing such items. In September last year, an alleged instance of two prison officials supplying items like mobile phones to inmates in Tihar Jail came to light.

Jail officials claimed that one of the accused was caught on CCTV camera throwing a package over the boundary wall of the prison which was found to be a sock stuffed with mobile phones, chargers and tobacco pouches. However, the accused later allegedly tried to erase the said footage, added the officials.