GUWAHATI: In a major security breach, several unauthorised activities were detected in the National Security Act (NSA) cell at the highly secure Dibrugarh Jail, which houses, among others, separatist leader and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh and his associates.
The director general of Assam Police, GP Singh, took to his official handle on social media platform X to confirm the breach, saying that a search operation led to the recovery of numerous unauthorised items, including a spy camera, a smartphone, a keypad phone, pen drives, Bluetooth headphones and speakers, a smartwatch, among others from the NSA cell.
Reference NSA detenues at Dibrugarh Jail, Assam – On receipt of Information about unauthorised activities taking place in NSA cell, additional CCTV cameras were installed in public area of NSA Block. Inputs received confirmed unauthorised activities, based on which Jail staff… pic.twitter.com/Iwf5kWOeXN
— GP Singh (@gpsinghips) February 17, 2024
He stated further that all the recovered items were lawfully seized by the jail staff and the source of these items was currently under investigation.
“Reference NSA detenues at Dibrugarh Jail, Assam – On receipt of information about unauthorised activities taking place in the NSA cell, additional CCTV cameras were installed in the public area of the NSA block. Inputs received confirmed unauthorised activities, based on which Jail staff searched the premises of NSA Cell early this morning, leading to the recovery of a smartphone with a SIM card, a keypad phone, a TV remote with a keyboard, a spy-cam pen, pen drives, Bluetooth headphones & speakers and a smart watch, which were lawfully seized by Jail staff. The source of these unauthorised articles and mode of induction are being ascertained. Further lawful action is being taken and steps are being taken to prevent recurrence,” the Assam DGP posted from his X handle.
The Dibrugarh Central Jail includes a high-security cell where prisoners booked under the National Security Act (NSA) are lodged.
In April of last year, Punjab Police arrested Amritpal Singh after a manhunt straddling states and spanning several months. He was later brought to Dibrugarh jail.
Nine of Amritpal’s close aides, including Papalpreet Singh and Daljeet Singh Kalsi, are also in the same jail.
Dibrugarh Central Jail is considered the most secure prison in the state and one of the oldest correctional facilities in the Northeast. (ANI)