Mid Day

Mumbai, Mar 19: The much-awaited project to install mobile jammers and close-circuit TV screens in the Arthur Road jail premises is underway.

With jammers in place, criminals can no longer run their gangs from behind the bars. “Mobile jammers will be installed in a week’s time. In the next phase, we will install CCTVs at strategic locations in the jail,” said DIG (prison) SP Yadav.

The CCTVs will help keep tabs on undertrials. “CCTVs will help prevent clashes between the groups. There was a pressing need to install them, after two murders in December-January,” said Yadav. Another officer said the CCTVs would help keep a check on the jail staff, as there were reports of a nexus between jail officials and undertrials.

The jammers which were installed in 2005 were withdrawn, after gross violations were tracked down by authorities. “We have had test-runs with the jammers. Though there are infrastructural problems, this time we will ensure they are effective,” said a jail official.

The use of mobile phones within the prison came under the scanner after the Crime Branch recorded telephonic conversations of gangster Chota Rajan’s henchman DK Rao from his jail barrack in 2006.

Gangsters Iqbal Kaskar, brother of Dawood Ibrahim, Abu Salem, Ijaz Pathan, an aide of Dawood, Mustafa Dossa and all the 1993 Mumbai blasts accused are now in the jail.