Official pays secret visit to CBI suspect in quarantine jail

The CBI had arrested W Ravindran Samuel, the senior manager of Indian Bank of Kelleys branch, on May 19 after he was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 7,500 from a customer in order to release a document that the latter had pledged as collateral for a loan. The bank official had demanded the bribe to release the document even though the customer had paid all his dues.

On Friday, between 10.45 am and 11.15 am, a senior official from the State government, believed to be from the Electricity department, visited the bribery accused in the jail. Sources said the official refused to register his name in the entry log kept at the entrance of the jail.

After the lockdown was imposed, all remanded prisoners are being kept in quarantine jails for two weeks to make sure that they do not carry the virus infection. Also, officials have banned visitors to all the jails because of the pandemic, which made the secret visit even more curious. “The official who visited the jail violated the lockdown rules. It could not have happened without the knowledge of jail officials,” sources said, adding a jailor is in charge of the particular sub-jail-turned-quarantine jail.

After getting a wind of the incident, Prison department DGP on Sunday directed the superintendent of Prison-I, Puzhal central jail, to conduct an internal inquiry into the entry of the visitor, sources added.