Jammu, July 15: The Jammu & Kashmir Police in a surprise raid conducted inside Central Jail Kot Balwal, Jammu have reportedly recovered mobile phones and SIM cards from the possession of inmates lodged inside.

Sources said that a police team raided the jail and recovered at least 12 mobile phones and some SIM cards from the possession of ‘militants’ lodged there. The raid was carried out by the sleuths of Counter Intelligence Department of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Sources added that the raid was conducted after the arrest of a militant sympathizer who revealed that militants inside the prison use cell phones.

News agence KNO added that at least 10 mobile phones were seized during a major operation carried out in the high security Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu, officials said on Thursday.

Officials said  that 17 such devices have been seized in the last 15 days inside the jail premises, of which 10 mobile phones have been seized today only.

Terming the seizure of mobile phones as a serious security concern, the officials said that a high level probe has been initiated in this regard.

Official sources said that after some specific inputs, a joint team of Jammu police, CRPF and CID launched a major operation in the high security jail in Kot Bhalwal.

“During this operation, 10 mobile phones have been seized, which were allegedly being used by a few prisoners lodged in the jail,” they said, adding that today’s operation has been carried out on the basis of a similar operation that was carried out by CID wing of Jammu and Kashmir police in which seven such mobile phones were seized.

“A total of 17 mobile phones have been seized from the jail in the last 15 days,” the officials said.

They said that a high level probe is going on and they are trying to ascertain who among the prisoners were using mobile phones as use of phones even by militants lodged in the jail cannot be ruled out