Mobile stays busy in jail

Convicted criminal’s records show 184 calls on a single day
A convicted imprisoned top criminal made and received 184 cellphone calls to and from his cohorts in just 24 hours, law enforcers found this out recently to their disbelief.
Inmates are not allowed to have cellphones in jail but that convict made and received over 3,500 calls in one month.
Checking with a cellphone operator, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) also got information about numerous cellphone calls from jails that they believe were made by dons to their gangsters instructing them on extorting money from individuals and establishments, murdering someone and other criminal activities.
A Rab official on the condition of anonymity told The Daily Star that they know there are several other yet-to-be-identified godfathers in jail who make and receive between 250 to 450 calls over cellphones a month.
The official, however, refused to name the convict who made and received the 3,500 calls in one month.
“We have identified a few caller and are trying to identify others but we are finding it difficult to identify them as addresses given during registration of the SIM [Subscriber Identification Module] cards are usually fake,” said the Rab official.
“Checking the call list we have found one criminal made and received the highest 184 calls in a single day from Kashimpur Jail,” said the Rab official.
Giving an example the Rab official said five youths arrested last month by Rab in connection with murdering Aminul Islam Khadem, administrative officer of Dhaka Divisional Commissioner’s Office, disclosed that imprisoned gang boss Honda Babu planned the murder inside his prison and instructed his hit men over cellphone.
Honda Babu planned the murder after Saidur Rahman, inmate of Dhaka Central Jail and detained in connection with an embezzlement case, asked Babu to have Aminul killed for Tk 1.5 crore blood money.
Aminul was the secretary of Kallya Shah Mazar (shrine) in Brahmanbaria and Saidur is a former secretary of that shrine. Aminul had filed the money embezzlement case against Saidur.
The official also said a group of unscrupulous jail staff in exchange for large bribes provide the criminals with cellphones.
A source in the home ministry told The Daily Star that the ministry understanding the severity of the situation asked Rab to investigate the matter and prepare a report with recommendations so that the use of cellphones by inmates could be stopped altogether.
Inspector General (prisons) Brig Gen Mokbul Hossain, however, told The Daily Star that he was not aware of the matter or any investigation into the matter.
Measures to stop the use of cellphones in jail were taken on various occasions but those only worked for a few days and after that it was the same old situation again.
A number of gang leaders including Sweden Aslam, Kamal Pasha, Freedom Sohel, Khurshed Alam alias Rashu, Titon, Arman, Moshiur Rahman Kochi, Killer Abbas, Sanjidul Islam Emon, Kalya Palash and Honda Babu are now in Dhaka and Kashimpur jails.
A number of businessmen, traders and hoteliers in Karwan Bazar and Farmgate areas alleged that imprisoned godfather Sweden Aslam made phone calls to them threatening them of dire consequences if they do not pay his men huge amount of toll.
If anyone refuses to pay toll, Aslam himself calls and threatens them of dire consequences, they said.
Kalya Palash, another detained criminal, often makes such calls from jail.
“My uncle called me thrice in two months from jail and enquired if everyone was paying toll as usual,” Palash’s nephew Ibrahim Khan, recently arrested by Rab with a revolver and three bullets, told The Daily Star.
Palash, who was sentenced to life, is the leader of his gang that operates in Rampura and Khilgaon areas in the city.

Courtesy of The Daily Star