Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday directed the prisons department to tighten security at the Central Jail, Colvale, to crack down on an alleged narcotics network operating from inside the prison.“I have directed strict security checks in jail, and such incidents will not repeat,” Sawant said. Sawant also said he has ordered an inquiry into the alleged narcotics network.When asked to react to the alleged drug racket being operated from inside the jail, Sawant said, “I have ordered an inquiry.”A crime branch investigation has uncovered a narcotics network allegedly operated from inside the Central Jail at Colvale, with a convicted NDPS accused allegedly using cellphones, WhatsApp and UPI transactions to coordinate drug procurement and distribution across the country.Police said the accused, lodged in jail, connected suppliers and dealers through WhatsApp, arranged procurement of narcotic substances from different states, and shared collection locations with local operatives. Payments were made through UPI as well as in cash.Investigators said the network functioned without any physical contact between the jailed accused and members of the pan-India drug trade. Instructions for storing and distributing narcotic substances were allegedly passed through WhatsApp messages and phone calls from inside the prison.The crime branch recently took custody of the convicted accused, Azrudeen Achi alias Asaru, in the same NDPS case. During interrogation, he allegedly disclosed how the drug distribution network was being operated from within the jail.
