In order to keep vigil against unlawful activities, substances and electronic devices in the jails as directed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Police in a joint operation with the Prison department on Wednesday launched a special operation named ‘OPS Satark’ under which simultaneous searches were carried out at all jails in the state.
The operation was carried out on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav. Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla, who was accompanied by ADGP Prisons Arun Pal Singh and Inspector General of Police reached Central Jail Patiala to lead the state-level operation conducted at 25 jails including Central, District and Sub-Division Jails across the state.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Patiala Range Mukhwinder Singh Chhina and SSP Patiala Varun Sharma were also present on the spot.The operation, in which a strong force of over 2500+ Police personnel were involved, was carried out from 12noon to 3 pm simultaneously across the state and SSPs were asked to lead the operation in their concerned districts amid deployment of heavy force inside and outside of the jail so that nobody could throw anything outside the jail. Sniffer dogs were also roped in.
Special DGP Arpit Shukla said that the purpose behind this operation was not only to check the illegal activities in the jail but to also ensure that the inmates are getting the facilities they are entitled to as per the law. “Our Police teams have thoroughly searched every nook and corner including barracks, kitchen and toilets in the jail complex,” he said.
Sharing the outcome, he said that the state-wide searches led to the recovery of 21 mobile phones along with sim cards and chargers, modified knives, nails and 8.7 grams of opium from the barracks of different jails.Meanwhile, the Special DGP expressed satisfaction over the foolproof security arrangements made at the Patiala Central Jail.