Ludhiana: The city’s notoriously porous maximum-security prison has been fitted with advanced 5G signal-blocking shields after inmates used smuggled phones to run hit squads and extortion rackets from their cells.The deployment of two “V Kavach” jamming units in the Ludhiana Central Jail follows intensifying judicial pressure to disrupt criminal empires operating from Punjab’s correctional facilities. The Punjab and Haryana high court intervened to monitor prison security after high-profile gangster Lawrence Bishnoi managed to give a televised interview while allegedly in custody.More recently, the superintendent of nearby Hoshiarpur jail was transferred after an inmate uploaded a video leveling severe corruption allegations against prison staff. The new 5G jammers secure a specialised zone housing 16 high-risk inmates, each confined to separate cells.Jail superintendent Kulwant Singh Sidhu confirmed the long-delayed hardware was now operational. “The jail authorities have seized many mobile phones, but more sets continue to be tossed over the walls from the outside,” he said.The officer said: “Homes built next to the prison overlook our perimeter, making it easy to toss devices inside. These jammers ensure that even if phones breach the walls, they are rendered useless.”The modern units have an effective range of 100m each. While these are restricted currently to the jail’s maximum-security wing, officials plan to phase in more units to cover the entire compound. Ludhiana is one of four major Punjab prisons — including Patiala, Ferozepur, and Hoshiarpur — selected for the initial V Kavach installation.The security upgrade comes as local police repeatedly tie incarcerated inmates to active street crimes. Gang leaders have used smuggled phones to coordinate extortion networks, arrange weapon and drug shipments, and orchestrate targeted killings of rivals via outside accomplices.
