At Puzhal central jail, prison officials pilfer 135 LPG cylinders in two weeks; probe under way
Prison department sources said a departmental inquiry is underway to determine the genesis of the malpractice and those involved and for how long they were siphoning off the cylinders.
Representative Illustration (Saai)
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Prisons Department is probing an "ongoing scam" in Central Prison, Puzhal where a coterie of officials are suspected of pilfering LPG cylinders delivered to the prison kitchen. Two months ago, a surprise inspection by the Director General (DG) of Prisons and Correctional Services, Maheshwar Dayal showed that about 135 cylinders were pilfered in two weeks alone. This means a loss to the government exchequer of about Rs 1.2 lakh in those two weeks alone.
Prison department sources said a departmental inquiry is underway to determine the genesis of the malpractice and those involved and for how long they were siphoning off the cylinders.
While the inquiry pertains only to Puzhal, sources said it is a common practice in central prisons across the State.
An administrative transfer of a deputy jailer in charge of the stores in Puzhal following the inspection has set the ball rolling on the larger conspiracy.
The official challenged her transfer to another prison before the Madras High Court and stated that it was an "ongoing scam" and she was only three months into the job when the inspections happened.
On March 14, during the inspection, DG Prisons found that while the actual gas cylinders received on February 29, March 10 and March 14 were 80, 90 and 90, the invoices mentioned the number of cylinders received as 130, 135 and 130 respectively.
Prison department sources said the DG Prisons had orally informed the officials concerned about the discrepancies in the stock register, but again on April 5, an entry was made as if 140 cylinders were procured, while the CCTV footage showed only 95 gas cylinders were received after which the deputy jailer, central prison-2 was relieved of duties and asked to report to Central Prison, Palayamkottai.
Challenging the transfer and contending that the scam was ongoing, the deputy jailer told the Madras High Court: "From my date of joining (Dec 26, 2023), the perpetrators of the malpractice were finding me inconvenient. They turned the tables on me and I was issued a relieving order without an opportunity to explain," the official stated in her affidavit.
Though in charge of the stores, the procurement of gas cylinders and making entries involved other officials too and it is illogical to blame her alone for the entire misconduct and the mention of the phrase, "high preponderance of involvement in malpractices having financial implications" in the relieving order is astigmatic, she argued.
Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy agreed to the contentions and quashed the transfer order. The court further noted that it is clear that the department officials are involved and there is a possible conspiracy with the suppliers and suggested the prison department take criminal action against the officials after the findings of the departmental inquiry.
Around 2,000 inmates are housed in Central Prison in Puzhal and LPG cylinders are procured from local suppliers twice a week depending on the requirements, said the prison officials.