Other accused Shubham Kawle (Suraj Kawle’s brother), his friend Suraj Waghmare, Moreshwar Sonwane, Mukesh Babu Panjabrao Nayudu, Bhagirath Thardayal and Arthav Khatakhti (one of the members of hardened criminal Sheikhu’s gang) and Sachin, brother of tainted PSI Nitnawne, who is a police constable, also were put behind bars. They were arrested on charges under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Prisons Act.

PSI Nitnawne was kept in the Central Jail after he was arrested in a rape case registered at Sitabuldi Police Station.

Soon after the racket was busted, Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar suspended two policemen -- Head Constable Prakash Musale and Naik Police Constable Hemraj Raut -- of ‘Aaropi’ Cell for dereliction of duty and instituted a departmental inquiry against them.

Additional Director General of Police (Prisons), Pune, would be sending a special team of officers to conduct an inquiry into the matter as possibility of nexus between some jail employees and the accused cannot be ruled out.

A police officer, on Wednesday, told ‘The Hitavada’ that only five gramme Marijuana was found during the searches in the barracks. No mobile phones were found in the jail premises, he added.

Meanwhile, another officer, on the condition of anonymity, said that MCOCA accused Suraj Kawle was caught by a jail guard when he tried to smuggle 51 gramme Marijuana and 15 batteries of cellphones of different handsets into the jail on Monday.

However, the Crime Branch investigating the case could not lay hands on a single cellphone during the searches. Had the jail authorities informed the police immediately after Suraj Kawle was caught with packets of Marijuana and batteries and timely searches were conducted, the investigators would have certainly traced the cellphones, SIM cards and batteries inside the barracks, he added.

“The time gap might have helped other accused inside the jail to either hide the cellphones used by them at ‘safe’ places or dispose them of with the assistance of other suspects in the jail,” he added.

The officer also said, MCOCA accused Suraj Kawle had a cellphone. He and suspended PSI Nitnawne were kept in the same barrack. Accused Sachin, brother of PSI Nitnawne allegedly had transferred Rs 45,000 in the latter’s account. The amount was used to purchase Marijuana and batteries of mobile phones. Masquerading as attorneys, Suraj Kawle’s brother Shubham and Bhagirath had given a file to him when he was being taken to the jail after the trial at the Special Court. The police escort party then brought Suraj Kawle to the jail at around 1.30 pm on Monday. He was carrying a file containing some documents in his hand. When he was entering the jail from the main gate, jail guard Ramdas Kawle got suspicious as he found the file quite heavy during the accused’s frisking. Upon checking, the jail guard was shocked to find Marijuana packets and batteries of mobile phones hidden between two pages pasted in the file. The guard raised an alarm and Suraj Kawle was caught.