Representational imageThrissur: A deputy prison officer at the Viyyur Central Jail here has been caught red-handed while attempting to smuggle liquor and beef into the prison to help inmates celebrate Onam in a 'grand' manner.
Based on a tip-off, the superintendent of prison raided the room of deputy prison officer Santhosh and recovered as many as 19 bottles of foreign liquor, 20 beedi packs, three packets of beef, five mobile phone batteries and a smartphone from his possession.
Interrogation revealed that the consignments were meant to be supplied to inmates for celebrating Onam.
It is said that the inmates would empty the tobacco inside the beedi and use to smoke ganja.
Allegations of corruption have been rampant in the Central Jail. There were several reports on the functioning of a racket, with the connivance of jail authorities, which supplied banned items to inmates on request.
There have been instances in the past when people were caught smuggling in drugs, liquor and other articles for use by inmates.
Santhosh is said to be the lynchpin of the racket. The seized items were kept under his cot in the barrack adjacent to the prison building where jail officials stay.
Sources said there are jail personnel who 'rent out' charged mobile batteries to jailbirds.
Mostly, it is temporary employees who indulge in such illegal activities. Though it takes active involvement of more than one security personnel to get things smuggled in through illegal means, no serious efforts have been made by authorities concerned to curb such activities.
