In Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, the authorities overseeing operations at the Goindwal Sahib Central Jail found themselves dealing with an unsettling recurrence. Arshad Khan, a central figure in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, was once again discovered in possession of a mobile phone—marking the fourth instance within nine months. This alarming trend has raised significant concerns about the security protocols within the prison.
Khan, already implicated in the murder of two fellow inmates earlier this year, has been a subject of heightened scrutiny. His association with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi adds another layer of complexity to his confinement. Khan, along with seven other individuals, occupies the high-security zone of Block-C, Zone No 3, a group accused in connection with the tragic demise of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
The unsettling sequence of events took a distressing turn on February 28, when Khan and six others found themselves implicated in the double murder of Mandeep Singh alias Toofan and Manmohan Singh alias Mohna. This tragic incident unfolded during a violent altercation within the Goindwal Sahib Central Jail. What compounds the severity of this episode is the fact that the murders were recorded on mobile devices seized from Khan and his associates.
However, this grim event did not deter the subsequent discovery of phones in Khan’s possession. Despite the gravity of the situation and the judicial intervention, mobile phones were confiscated from Khan on three separate occasions: firstly in February, then in March, and later in September. This persistent recurrence raises serious questions about the efficacy of the security measures within the prison.
The recent recovery of a mobile phone from Khan has evoked renewed concern, especially in the wake of the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s proactive involvement. The court, on November 9, had expressed deep apprehension regarding the prevalence of illicit phone usage among inmates and sought comprehensive insights into the steps implemented to prevent such prohibited items from entering the correctional facility. This ongoing issue demands urgent attention and a robust reevaluation of the security protocols to ensure the integrity and safety of the correctional environment.
