Patna: Twenty-six police officials including the officer in charge of the Siwan jail in Bihar were suspended in connection with recovery of mobile phones from the inmates of the prison, officials said here Wednesday.

Thirty-seven mobile phones were seized from the inmates of Siwan jail during a raid on Aug 3. A dozen mobile chargers, 15 telephone diaries, a headphone, knifes, seven bottles of imported perfume and some cash were also seized from the prisoners.

Of the phones seized, seven were recovered from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Mohammad Shahabuddin's ward. Police officials including jailor Ramadhar Singh and his deputy Rajendra Prasad were suspended by the Inspector General of Prisons Sandeep Poundereek, the officials said.

"Departmental proceedings against them would be initiated soon," they added. Siwan district Superintendent of Police (SP) Umesh Kumar said that acting on information that inmates were making calls through mobile phones from the jail, officials had conducted the raid. A Lok Sabha member from Siwan since 1996,Shahabuddin is involved in over 40 criminal cases, including those of murder, abduction and possession of illegal arms.

Source : IANS