Patna: A joint team of the Muzaffarpur police and district administrative officials on Saturday seized two pages containing cellphone numbers of 40 persons, including a minister, who were in constant touch with Brajesh Thakur, main accused in the shelter home sexual exploitation case. In another development, the CBI detained Thakur's son Rahul Anand for interrogation.

The cellphone numbers were recovered from Thakur during a search of 60 prisoner wards at the Shaheed Khudiram Bose Central Jail in Muzaffarpur. Brajesh was in the visitors' area when the team landed. Other prisoners dumped their cellphones as news of a raid spread.

Searches were conducted in 59 jails, on chief minister Nitish Kumar's directive. "The identity of those whose numbers were with Thakur are being verified," Mithanpura police station house officer (SHO) Vijay Kumar Rai said. He refused to give names. "The cellphone numbers will help probe the sex harass case," a source said. The seizure list includes 12 cellphones, 20gm of marijuana, knives and scissors and an FIR was being lodged.

A few inmates with criminal antecedents had allegedly threatened jail superintendent Rajiv Jha. He told district magistrate Mohammad Sohail and senior superintendent of police Harpreet Kaur and sought security. Sources said a complaint was lodged. Jha was not available for comment.