Surat: Three mobile phones with SIM cards were recovered from special Ramadan barracks set up for inmates to offer prayers inside Lajpore Jail, triggering controversy over a possible security lapse.

According to police sources, a checking operation was carried out on Wednesday at around 3 pm under the leadership of Jailor M.M. Charpot in the Ramadan barracks of the jail. For the month of Ramadan, three separate barracks had been arranged in different yards so that inmates could offer prayers, and special facilities had also been provided there.

Officials received information that some prisoners were misusing the prayer arrangements and had secretly brought mobile phones into the barracks to contact relatives and acquaintances outside the jail. Following the tip-off, a surprise inspection was conducted.

During the search, mobile phones with SIM cards were found in all three barracks. One phone was recovered from beneath a television set, another near the common toilet, and the third from a box built under a wash basin.

A complaint has been lodged at Sachin Police Station to identify the inmates responsible for bringing the phones inside the jail. Police have also started analysing the SIM cards to determine who made calls using the recovered mobile phones.