Sambalpur: In a surprise early morning operation, a police raid was conducted at Sambalpur Circle Jail on Monday in the presence of sub-collector and magistrate Pushpanjali Panda.A team led by two additional superintendents of police, Ajay Kumar Mishra and Shrimant Barik, along with SDPO Tofan Bag, officers-in-charge from five police stations, around 15 inspectors, and a platoon of police, entered the jail premises at around 5 am and carried out a thorough search of every barrack and surrounding area.Following the inspection, Panda said they did not find drugs or any other objectionable items from inside the jail. She stated that the inmates were found disciplined and the overall environment inside the jail was normal. The raid, she added, was a surprise and routine security measure conducted as per standard protocols.Mishra clarified that the raid aimed to check whether inmates possessed illegal items such as mobile phones, SIM cards, or narcotic substances. Despite detailed checking, nothing suspicious was found, he added.Similar raids were carried out at Kuchinda and Rairakhol sub-jails on Monday morning. The operation was reportedly based on intelligence inputs suggesting large-scale illegal activities, including drug trafficking, inside the jail premises. However, the absence of any recovery has raised eyebrows, with suspicion that information about the raid might have been leaked in advance.
