Kolkata, Aug 31 (IANS) The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police on Monday took over the investigation into the recovery of mobile phones and other internet devices from the Presidency Central Correctional Home cell of Aftab Ansari, the mastermind behind the January 2002 attack on the American Centre in Kolkata.
It was learnt that Ansari’s cell is number 14 in the 1/22 ward of the Presidency Correctional Facility. Other accused in high‑profile cases are also lodged in the ward, including Subodh Roy in cell number 52 and Anish Thakur in cell number 19, both accused in the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manish Shukla. Authorities also recovered smartphones from their cells, raising questions about how such devices reach prisoners.
After the BJP government came to power in West Bengal, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari became vocal about the use of mobile phones by criminals in jail and the rampant drug trade inside correctional facilities. He said he would not tolerate such irregularities. He ordered a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe in May into how mobile phones were reaching prisoners and with whom they were communicating. That investigation is ongoing. Meanwhile, the recovery from Ansari’s cell has again highlighted concerns about prisoners’ lifestyles inside correctional homes.
Last week, sleuths of the Kolkata Police’s detective department recovered three cell phones with active internet connections and cash from Ansari’s cell.
Ansari, an erstwhile operator of the terrorist group Asif Reza Commando (ARC), which had ties with Pakistan‑based outfits such as Harkat‑ul‑Jihad‑e‑Islami (HUJI) and Jaish‑e‑Mohammed (JeM), is serving life imprisonment at Presidency Central Correctional Home. Recently, it was noticed that he was making mobile calls multiple times a day from his cell. Accordingly, the detective department conducted a raid.
“Three mobile phones, two routers, a Wi‑Fi device, two card readers, a pen drive and earphones were recovered from his clothes and bedding. At the same time, sleuths recovered Rs 31,000, all in Rs 500 denominations, from Ansari’s possession. An investigation has been launched into how such items reached the cell of a notorious terrorist serving life imprisonment,” a city police officer said.
Police conducted the raid on Friday night. Hastings Police Station registered a case, and investigators are not ruling out the involvement of prison officials and staff.
The probe focuses on identifying the people or places Ansari communicated with using these devices. Investigators have sent the recovered items for forensic examination.
Investigators are probing whether calls were made to Pakistan, what conspiracy was being hatched while in custody and who Ansari was in contact with. Sources said the mobile phones contained multiple apps, including WhatsApp and Telegram. Security in Ansari’s cell has since been tightened, and authorities are interrogating him inside the facility.
–IANS
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