Kannur: A mobile phone was recovered from Kannur Central Jail on Saturday, raising fresh concerns over security lapses. The device was found near the first block during a routine inspection, concealed beneath a stone just outside a cell.

Acting on a complaint lodged by the jail superintendent, Kannur Town Police have registered a case. According to Manorama News, the recovered device is an old keypad model. The mobile phone has been sent to the cyber forensic team to retrieve the IMEI number and other technical details.

The jail recently came under scrutiny following an attempted jailbreak by rape and murder convict Govindachamy. The incident exposed serious flaws in the prison’s security system, which were confirmed by the North Zone Jail DIG, Kozhikode.

The Central Prison is equipped with a 1.5-metre-tall electric fence installed atop its 6-metre-high perimeter wall. However, the fence has remained non-functional for over a year due to a lack of power supply — a fact reportedly known to all inmates.

Despite repeated requests by prison officials to the Kerala Prisons and Correctional Services Directorate for repairs, no action has been taken. Additionally, the fence is made of plain metal rods instead of barbed wire, making it easier to climb.

The jail is classified as high-security and is divided into four sub-blocks. Each block is supposed to be guarded by four Assistant Prison Officers during night shifts. As per protocol, a monitoring chart is placed outside each sub-block, and officers are required to sign it every 30 minutes after verifying that all cells are secure. However, sources suggest that this monitoring remains largely on paper.