Kolkata Police's detective department on Friday night recovered three mobile phones with active internet connections, two routers, a Wi-Fi device, and ₹31,000 in cash from the prison cell of Aftab Ansari — the mastermind behind the January 2002 American Centre attack in Kolkata. Ansari is currently serving life imprisonment at the Presidency Central Correctional Home in South Kolkata, and investigators say the contraband was concealed in his clothes and bedding.

What Was Recovered

According to a city police officer, the haul from Ansari's cell included three mobile phones, two routers, a Wi-Fi device, two card readers, a pen drive, and earphones — all found hidden in his clothes and bedding. Additionally, ₹31,000, entirely in ₹500 denominations, was seized from his possession. A case has been registered at the local Hastings Police Station and a formal investigation is underway.

How the Raid Was Triggered

Detective department sleuths had recently noticed that mobile communications were being made multiple times a day from Ansari's cell, prompting a sudden raid on Friday night. 'An investigation has been launched into how such items reached the cell of a notorious terrorist like Ansari, who is currently serving life imprisonment,' a city police officer said. Investigators are not ruling out the involvement of prison officials and staff in facilitating access to the contraband.

Pakistan Connection Under Scrutiny

Ansari was a key operator of the Asif Reza Commando (ARC) group, which maintained ties with Pakistan-based militant outfits including Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami (HUJI) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Investigators say the primary focus of the probe is identifying the persons or locations Ansari was communicating with — and specifically whether he was in contact with anyone in Pakistan and through what channels.

Pattern of Contraband at Presidency Jail

This is not an isolated incident. On 20 August, a similar raid at the Presidency Central Correctional Home led to the recovery of a smartphone and a SIM card from undertrial prisoner Abdul Moinuddin. The back-to-back discoveries have intensified scrutiny of the prison administration. The superintendent and chief controller of the correctional home have since been suspended, and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has ordered a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the prison official-criminal nexus.

What Comes Next

Investigators are working to trace the communication trail from the recovered devices, with a particular focus on any cross-border links. The CID probe is expected to widen the net beyond Ansari's cell to examine systemic failures in the prison's security apparatus. How contraband of this scale — phones, routers, and a Wi-Fi device — reached a high-security convict's cell without detection will be a central question for the inquiry.