Gopalganj: In a bizarre incident, an undertrial prisoner in district jail swallowed a mobile phone during checking for fear of being caught by the prison officers.
According to Dynamite News correspondent, the prisoner has been identified as Kaisar Ali, a resident of Indarwa village.
The matter came to light when the inmate complained of extreme pain and informed the jail authorities about the incident. He was immediately taken to the Gopalganj district hospital by the jail administration, the inmate told the doctors that he had swallowed a mobile phone.
Ali, who has been in jail for the last three years, told jail officials that he swallowed the mobile phone to hide this from officials during inspection. He was arrested by the city police on 17 January 2020 from near Hajiyapur village under the provisions of the NDPS Act. Jail Superintendent of Gopalganj Manoj Kumar said that X-ray of the prisoner revealed the presence of a foreign particle in his stomach.
Dr. Salam Siddiqui, posted in the Emergency Ward of Gopalganj District Hospital, told reporters, “The prisoner was admitted to the hospital due to stomach pain. An X-ray of his abdomen was done and the presence of foreign particles was found during the examination. It needs to be thoroughly investigated."
Later a medical board was constituted by the Gopalganj District Hospital which referred the prisoner to Patna Medical College and Hospital for further treatment. The use of a mobile phone by a prisoner inside the prison has raised questions about the credibility of the security officials.
Significantly, during the raids conducted in jails across the state in March 2021, around 35 cellphones, 7 SIM cards and 17 cellphone chargers were recovered. The raids were conducted in Katihar, Buxar, Gopalganj, Nalanda, Hajipur, Arrah, Jehanabad and some other jails in the state.
