Indian prisoner swallows mobile phone during inspection

Use of devices is prohibited inside prisons.

A prisoner in India was taken to hospital after he swallowed a mobile phone. Getty Images

An Indian prisoner was taken to hospital after it was claimed he swallowed a mobile phone out of fear of being caught by prison officers.

Qaishar Ali, an inmate at a jail in Gopalganj in eastern Bihar, was reportedly taken to a government-run hospital at the weekend after he complained of severe stomach pain.

On examination, doctors found a “foreign body” in his abdomen, police said.

Police said the prisoner told jail authorities he had swallowed the mobile phone during a surprise check by jail staff on Saturday.

“The prisoner was admitted to the hospital due to stomach pain. The X-ray of his stomach was taken and the presence of foreign particles was visible during the examination. There is a need to investigate it thoroughly,” Dr Salam Siddiqui said.

Police said he was later referred to an advanced hospital for further treatment, where his condition is said to be stable.

Ali was jailed in January 2020 for drug offences.

The use of mobile phones is prohibited inside Indian prisons.

At least three dozen mobile phones, seven sim cards and 17 chargers were seized during raids in jails across Bihar in 2021, official data showed.