Hyderabad: A video showing a 21-year-old youngster meeting his friend lodged in Chanchalguda Central Prison during a mulaqat session went viral on social media, prompting swift action from the prisons department. Mobile phones are strictly prohibited during mulaqat, and the viral video triggered a complaint to Dabeerpura police, along with show-cause notices to three prison staff members.
Director general of prisons, Soumya Mishra, on Tuesday reviewed the mulaqat process at Chanchalguda, where around 600 visitors meet inmates daily between 9 am and 5 pm. She ordered enhanced security measures, including stricter visitor checks and more surveillance.
The inmate, 24-year-old Sheik Ahmed Bin Jalal Bin Al Jabri, was arrested on April 11 by the south east zone task force for allegedly threatening to kill a man and extorting a mobile phone and ₹7,000 from him at Keshavagiri ‘T’ junction on March 31. He was later remanded in judicial custody. Jabri is reportedly involved in 12 criminal cases, including theft, assault, and robbery since 2021.
On April 12, Jabri’s friend Sadiqullah, along with another youth, visited him during visiting hours after undergoing routine registration and checks. However, one of them discreetly recorded a short video of Jabri through the glass partition at the mulaqat counter using a mobile phone and later shared it on social media.
The video gained attention after a user on X questioned how a mobile phone was allowed into a high-security facility, tagging senior police officials. Though there was no immediate response online, prison staff alerted authorities, prompting internal action.
“We have issued notices to two warders and a deputy jailor on duty at the time and filed a complaint against the individual who brought the mobile phone inside, violating prison rules and Supreme Court guidelines,” said a Chanchalguda prison official.
Dabeerpura sub-iInspector E Sreedhar said they received a complaint from Chanchalguda jailor Madan on Monday, alleging that Sadiqullah, a youngster from Chandrayangutta, along with another youth, visited remand prisoner Jabri. “Sadiqullah reportedly recorded a 10-second video of his conversation with Jabri through the intercom in the mulaqat room. We have been asked to initiate appropriate legal action,” the SI said.
In response, prison authorities have doubled the number of staff supervising mulaqat, added a new CCTV camera, and introduced handheld metal detectors and a door frame metal detector. Priority for visits will now be given to family members and legal representatives over friends.
