15 hours ago
Nagpur Central Jail to Tighten Security with Enhanced Criminal Profiling
Nagpur: With gang wars and criminal activities escalating inside Nagpur Central Jail, prison authorities are implementing a fresh strategy focused on enhanced criminal profiling and intelligence sharing.
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To facilitate this, prison officials have requested the Nagpur police to provide detailed criminal records of inmates at the time of their admission. This includes comprehensive background information, case histories, gang affiliations, and prior criminal behaviour. The aim is to improve inmate management and reduce the risk of violent clashes within the facility.
The strategy was formalised during a high-level coordination and intelligence-sharing meeting held earlier this week.
Commissioner of police Ravinder Singal, joint commissioner Navinchandra Reddy, jail superintendent Vaibhav Aage, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
Aage underscored the move's importance, stating, "Timely and accurate information about inmates' backgrounds will help us allocate barracks more strategically and minimize the risk of violence."
While some information exchange already exists, a senior official noted that the process must become more frequent, structured, and institutionalized for effective criminal profiling.
The discussion centered on the growing challenges posed by gang rivalries in Nagpur city and surrounding rural areas, which are increasingly spilling over into the prison system. Authorities face mounting difficulties in preventing retaliatory attacks among rival gang members lodged in the central prison.
The situation worsened earlier this year following the violent Hiranwar-Shaiku gang war, after which several members from both groups were incarcerated.
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Prison officials struggled to segregate these inmates and house them in separate barracks to avoid further violence.
Another serious concern raised during the meeting was the mixing of hardened criminals with white-collar offenders, whose crimes are typically non-violent and economic in nature. Officials warned that such groupings could lead to adverse behavioral influences and compromise prison reform objectives.
Additionally, authorities flagged the growing threat posed by urban Maoists and ideologically driven inmates. Housing them alongside younger, impressionable prisoners could lead to radicalization and pose long-term security risks, an official cautioned.
Persistent issues such as mobile phone usage, substance abuse, and other illicit activities within the barracks were also discussed. Prison authorities have pledged to implement stricter surveillance and enforcement measures to curb these violations.
As part of the new strategy, zonal Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) have been directed to ensure seamless and timely sharing of inmate profiles with prison officials.
The initiative aims to bolster prison security and effectively manage the increasingly complex and volatile inmate population within Nagpur Central Jail.
