Two prison staff suspended in Salem

Acting on a tip-off, the officials of the prison department carried out a surprise search in a cell and seized a cell phone, charger and a SIM card from Goondas Act detainees Shanmugam, 23, Karthi, 29 and Ravi Kumar, 31, an under-trial prisoner.

During the inquiry, Karthi confessed to having brought the cell phone into the prison by bribing Rs 20,000 to assistant prison officer S Ragavan. Following a departmental inquiry, DIG Shanmugasundaram issued an order on Thursday suspending the prison staff.

In another incident, U Pandiarajan, a prison warden had also been placed under suspension after he visited the house of a woman prison staff at night in an inebriated condition and created nuisance.