Security forces conduct search operation in Central Jail Karachi, recover 300 phones

KARACHI: The law enforcement agencies carried out search operation in Karachi’s central jail on Sunday night and claimed to have recovered more than 300 mobile phones, cash, and other things from the inmates’ possession.

The operation was conducted days after two terror suspects associated with the Naeem Bukhari faction of banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi escaped from the prison.

Sources said police and personnel of the Sindh Rangers and the Frontier Constabulary jointly carried out the operation for over 12 hours and searched different barracks of the jail which led to recovery of 300 mobile phones, televisions, LCDs, CDs and cash, including Rs 700,000 cash from possession of prisoners.

According to the jail authorities, Mamtaz alias Phiroon and Muhammad Ahmed Khan alias Munna said to be associated with the Naeem Bukhari group of banned LJ, had escaped from Karachi Central Jail, though the authorities were not sure about the exact date.

The escape of the two high-profile under-trial prisoners raised serious concerns about security of the prison which housed a large number of hardened criminals including hardcore terrorists.

It is pertinent to mention here that the jail was claimed to be safeguarded heavily by the authorities to foil attempts of escape including the October 2014 operation by the Rangers to find a 45-metre-long tunnel being built just a few metres from the prison to facilitate escape of several dangerous militants imprisoned in the jail.