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BHOPAL, Nov 30
Jail inmates in Punjab are using high signals generated by SOS calls to connect outside world via mobile phones by circumventing high technological gadgets installed by authorities to jam communication signals.
According to a report prepared by the Punjab prisons department, inmates connect their illegally acquired mobile phones by hit and trial method of dialling the SOS/emergency numbers and once the SOS call is established, other calls are then easily connected. The department, which is struggling to contain the use of mobile phones by hardcore criminals inside jails, has also found that the current standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding Tower of the Harmonious Call Blocking System (T-HCBS) shared by ministry of home affairs (MHA) does not contain the details (technical and financial) for blocking advanced communication signals such as 5G.
This issue has been taken up with the department of telecommunications (DoT), especially to update/amend the T-HCBS SOP after the commercial launch of 5G technology, vide letter dated November 14 by the office of Punjab ADGP (prisons) and is expected to be resolved shortly.
The prisons department also has to placate residents living in the vicinity of Amritsar jail, who have been protesting because of poor signals in their mobile phones due to jammers installed by the jail authorities. These details have been revealed in a report to the Punjab and Haryana high court by Punjab DIG (prisons) Surinder Singh on behalf of the state government in a matter being heard related to the misuse of mobile phones by prisoners inside the state jails. The report, running into 214-pages, has highlighted that technical evaluation committee constituted for the purpose had recommended installation of the THCBS solution on a pilot basis in two Punjab jails of Amritsar and Kapurthala to gauge its effectiveness and utility vis-a-vis blocking illegal communications by jail inmates.
In coordination with telecom service providers, DoT carried out testing of signals being blocked by T-HCBS at different locations/spots inside Kapurthala and Amritsar central jails on August 17 and 18, respectively. A committee was also constituted, under the chairmanship of DIG (prisons), Amritsar circle, which includes technical experts from institutions such as Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and I K Gujral Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, apart from prison officials. The purpose of the committee was to give groundlevel feedback on the performance of the T-HCBS pilot project.