PANAJI
The Colvale Central Jail witnessed a jaw-dropping spectacle when a senior prisons officer staged a filmy-style showdown with the trouble-making criminals.
The inmates and other jail officials were left dumbstruck as the officer challenged the prisoners to make a daring escape from the three-tier guarded premises.
Reliable sources revealed to The Goan that the officer ordered his subordinates to open the main gate, fully aware of the dangerous criminals he had previously confronted. His anger that sent shivers down the spines of the inmates was in response to the violent confrontation between Vijay Karbotkar and Tarzan Parsekar in the very premises, which has turned into a breeding ground for gang wars and smuggling of banned substances.
“Not a single inmate dared to take a step because they all know too well this officer’s fearless encounters with hardened criminals in the past,” an officer, who was a witness to the dramatic scene, said. He resorted to this extraordinary measure to instill a sense of fear and discipline among the unruly inmates.
The jail officials were too not spared. The senior officer sternly warned them of disciplinary action if there were any more outbreaks or smuggling of contraband substances henceforth.
After the clash on Tuesday, this senior officer not only inspected each block and the allied units but also personally supervised the shuffling of all the prison inmates. Subsequently, police commandos were summoned to conduct a search of the cells, which lasted for two days.
This led to seizures of 35-odd mobile phones, other electronic devices, and a huge stock of tobacco products. How these crossed the "well-guarded" premises is being probed.
In another surprising turn of events, after Omvir Singh took over the reins of the Prisons Department as the Inspector General of Prisons in February, Jail Superintendent Bhanudas Pednekar was transferred to the headquarters. The sudden decision came as the HQ noticed a failed attempt to reform the notoriety within the jail premises despite various recommendations in the past.
