PANAJI
The alleged menu at the Correctional Home appears to extend way beyond tandoori meals priced at Rs 7,000 and fried rice at Rs 1,000.
In a fresh allegation, fruits supplied at government expense for inmates are said to be diverted for brewing fruit wine, while the prison canteen has allegedly become a conduit for alcohol, drugs, tobacco and other contraband.
The allegations point to a wider, reported food economy operating inside the facility -- which is already under the scrutiny of the High Court of Bombay at Goa. What began with claims that inmates could procure unauthorised food at extraordinary prices has now expanded into allegations that alcohol is being prepared within the jail itself. The latest allegations also figure in a complaint submitted recently to the Office of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the Chief Secretary. The complaint alleged that fruits meant for prisoners were diverted by canteen operators to prepare fruit wine or other alcoholic brews.
The Goan has learnt that inmates from a minority community who sought fruits for consumption during a religious fast were allegedly given only a portion of what they had requested. “In one such instance earlier, several prisoners of a particular community submitted lists of fruits to be allotted to them through the Jail Canteen facility for consumption during their fast period. Only a few fruits out of the total demand were actually sold to them, while the balance fruits were utilised by the said Jail Canteen Operators in preparing wine/alcohol at the Jail Canteen,” the complaint alleged.
It has also come to the fore that the alcohol prepared inside the jail was distributed among “privileged” inmates, with the cost allegedly being borne by an inmate facing several criminal cases including attempted murder and extortion. Sources further alleged that inmates are allowed to leave their cells to consume the alcohol with favoured prisoners. “Some fights and assaults inside the facility are also because of the alcohol distribution. Some are also in an inebriated state,” the source revealed. Meanwhile, in the complaint to the government, a prisoner alleged that liquor smuggled into the jail from outside is mixed with the locally prepared brew, which increases the volume for sale within the premises. Certain jail officials have been named in the complaint, with allegations that they were aware of, or involved in, the activities. No action on these specific allegations has been reported so far. At the heart of the allegations is the jail canteen, which, under the rules, is required to function on a no-profit, no-loss basis. The complainant has alleged that canteen commodities are sold to inmates at inflated prices, amounting to a violation of their consumer rights and a criminal economic offence. “Inmates are allegedly required to make digital payments through GPay to accounts said to belong to three convict prisoners. The actual MRP of the goods is then separately deducted from the prisoner’s PPC account before the items are handed over,” the source said, also as reported by The Goan on August 23. The effect, the complaint alleged, is that inmates pay twice -- once through digital transfers at inflated rates and again through deductions from their prison accounts.
One-stop shop for contrabands?
PANAJI: One of the prisoners has also named Golden Virginia tobacco, chewing tobacco, cigarettes, cocaine, MDMA, charas, ganja, hydro and other prohibited substances, besides ‘special’ food, as items allegedly supplied through the canteen network.
The complaint also cites an alleged drug-smuggling incident from 2023 when a convict was caught by then Superintendent Gaurish Kuttiker and Jailor Anil Gaunkar while allegedly carrying two bags of drugs from the women prisoners’ block towards the male convict block. A show-cause notice was reportedly issued to the inmate. “All these records can be revisited, including the CCTV footage which is installed and operational across,” the source said.
The Goan is also in possession of a few mobile numbers and GPay contacts which, according to the source, were allegedly used for payments linked to transactions inside the jail.
