Mobile phones, knives, ganja (marijuana) and other prohibited items were seized from jails across Bihar during surprise raids on Wednesday.
 
The raids ordered by the Patna high court were conducted as part of a crackdown on kidnapping-extortion rackets being run by criminals from jails.

Cell phone chargers, liquor bottles, tobacco and cigarette packets were also recovered from some jails, sources said on Thursday.

The raids, which began within an hour of the high court order on Wednesday, continued overnight, they said.

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Bihar Jail Minister Raghvendra Pratap Singh told PTI that he has sought a detailed report on the seizures made during the raids. "Suitable action will be initiated against the jail staff found guilty of abetting the use of prohibited articles," he said.

According to reports from Darbhanga, a team, under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar, recovered a few packets of contraband ganja, besides tobacco and cigarette packets from the jail van parked outside the main gate.

From the Khudiram Bose Memorial Central Jail in Muzaffarpur, gutkha packets, knives, transistors and cold drink bottles filled with liquor were seized, sources said.

Raids were also conducted in Siwan jail, where controversial Rashtriya Janata Dal member of Parliament Mohammad Shahabuddin is lodged. However, no banned goods were found here, sources said.

During raids in Bhagalpur jail, notorious gangster Bindu Singh, who is alleged to have masterminded the killing of noted surgeon N K Agarwal in Patna on Diwali night, was searched along with other inmates, but no prohibited articles were found on them.

In Hajipur jail, where Lok Janshakti Party MLA Rama Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nityanand Rai are lodged, a few packets of ganja, liquor bottles and a mobile phone charger were recovered. The two MLAs were, however, not present during the raid, as they were attending the assembly session in Patna.

The jail minister said the sentries on duty at the Beur jail in Patna were subjected to surprise frisking on Thursday.

He said raids will be conducted frequently to check the use of prohibited items, including mobile phones, in jails.