Chennai, September 14: Officials of the Puzhal Central Jail, located 23 kilometres from the Capital city of Chennai, have removed around eighteen television sets and two FM radios from its premises. Reportedly, the purpose behind doing so is that prisoners were using it for charging their cell phones sneaked inside the jail illegally.

"We withdrew 18 televisions from A Class wards in the jail after discovering that inmates were using their USB ports to charge mobile phones. The televisions will be reinstalled after the issue is resolved," a prison official told NDTV, adding that seven mobile phones were recently seized from prisoners in a raid.

Clarifying on the issue, the official said that televisions were not illegal but a "luxury" provided in accordance with guidelines. Does Maharashtra Jails Have Three-eyed Woman in White Dress? Ghostbusters Counselling Prisoners Who Witnessed Supernatural Activities.

Previously, the Puzhal Central Jail was in headlines when a warder was suspended for purportedly smuggling marijuana into its premises and a newspaper published photographs showing non-uniformed prisoners making most of the luxuries such as sneakers, mattresses and toiletries. Visit Telangana & Pay Rs 500 To Experience A Stay In Indian Prison Just Like These Two Malaysians.

The authorities asserted that it's not a big deal for certain prisoners enjoying the differential treatment. "It's not illegal for A Class prisoners to get their own mattresses," he said.

While explaining another photograph showing prisoners having non-prison delicacies, the official said the prisoners are allowed to prepare their own special food on "some special occasion".

The Puzhal Central Jail is built in an area comprising of 212 acres and accommodating up to 3,000 prisoners. The jail has three complexes: Puzhal Prison 1 for remand prisoners, Puzhal Prison 2 for convicts and Special Prison for women. It is considered among the modern prisons in India.

Smuggling of contraband has become one of the major issues in Indian jails. In May, authorities of the Gurdaspur jail in Punjab seized around twenty-one cell phones in a massive search across the premises. Bettiah and Muzzafarpur jails in Bihar also resulted in the recovery of Knives, Chewing tobacco and chargers, besides mobile phones and Rs. 50,000 in cash.

Who is an 'A' Class Prisoner?

An 'A' Class prisoner is a prisoner entitled to a bed with mattress, pillow, Television set, newspaper, mosquito net, non-vegetarian food twice a week and Radio. The 'A' class prisoner can be downgraded to 'B' class if they are found involved in illicit activities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 14, 2018 02:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).