Undertrial lodged in Muzaffarnagar jail uploads selfie with inmates on Facebook

An undertrial charged with attempt to murder uploaded a selfie on Facebook from his cell in Muzaffarnagar district jail, sending authorities into a tizzy on Saturday.

Jail sources said a smartphone was recovered on Saturday from barrack 16 A where the undertrial, Vijay Choudhary, is lodged. It was not clear whether it was same phone used to upload the selfie.

Inmates are not allowed to keep phones but there have been numerous instances in the past in jails across the state when undertrials, especially high-profile people, were found in possession of mobile phones, attributed to lax security and sometimes even connivance of jail staff.

Choudhury’s selfie, uploaded on March 7, was noticed only after it was shared widely on social media. He had uploaded two more selfies on February 18 but they went unnoticed by the jail authorities.

Choudhury’s latest selfie was with fellow undertrials, identified as Sachin Lambu and Mohit.

“The matter has come to my knowledge. Circle officer (Mandi) Yogendra Singh has been directed to initiate a probe into the incident along with the jail administration,” said city superintendent of police Ombeer Singh.

District magistrate Rajeev Sharma also said a magisterial-level probe would be initiated into the matter.

In May 2016 too a similar incident was reported in the prison, when a few inmates had uploaded selfies on Facebook.

Jolted by the security breach, the prison administration ordered all the barracks to be searched on Saturday. Jail superintendent AK Saxena and jailer AN Tripathi led the operation.

“We have recovered a smart phone from barrack 16 A (in which the undertrial concerned is lodged),” a source said.

“The operation is still on,” Saxena told HT.

Jail authorities said the undertrial Vijay Choudhary was in prison in connection with a case of murderous assault on a person. “He was arrested in December last year and booked under sections 307 and 323 of the Indian Penal Code,” said Saxena.

To check telephonic communication between prisoners and their supporters outside, the jail administration have installed a jammer on the premises.