Former jail inmate held for Rs 4 lakh theft from Kerala's high security jail cafe

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 26 A former prisoner, on Tuesday, has been arrested in connection with theft at the Food for Freedom cafeteria near the Poojappura Central Jail, considered Kerala's most high-security prison in the capital city.

The accused, Abdul Khader of Pothencode, had earlier served a two-year sentence in the same jail for theft.

The incident came to light on August 18 early morning when around Rs 4 lakh in cash was found missing from the cafeteria.

Police investigations revealed that the thief broke a glass door, entered the office, picked up keys from a desk, and accessed the room where the money was stored.

Cash kept on a table and in an almirah was looted.

The stolen amount reportedly included four days' collections.

The cafeteria's earnings from August 14 and 15 should have been deposited in the treasury on Saturday, but were not.

Sunday also saw brisk sales, and all of this money was kept in an unsecured backroom was stolen.

The cafeteria, staffed by 15 prison inmates and 10 temporary employees under the supervision of jail officials, functions in a high-security zone adjoining the Central Jail.

The absence of surveillance cameras inside the cafeteria has raised serious concerns.

The investigators had suspected from the beginning that the theft was an "insider job", given the detailed knowledge of the premises and cash storage.

The Food for Freedom cafeteria, launched in 2011 as an extension of the reform initiative that popularised "jail chapatis", was meant to showcase inmate skills and generate income for prison welfare.

The theft has now cast a shadow over the credibility of such projects and highlighted long-standing security weaknesses.

This is not the first breach at Poojappura jail.

Few months ago, equipment worth nearly Rs 5 lakh was stolen from the jail's solar power plant after nearly 300 unused batteries were dismantled.

No arrests were made in that case.

With more than 1,500 inmates housed against a sanctioned capacity of 700, staff shortages and overcrowding continue to plague the jail, raising doubts about its ability to ensure security both inside and around its premises.

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