Visitors at Khudiram Bose Memorial Jail, Muzaffarpur. Telegraph picture

Muzaffarpur, Jan. 12: The state government is contemplating to listen to the conversation between prisoners and their kin visiting them in jails in an attempt to tap discussions of criminal activities.

A large number of incidents have been reported of undertrials and persons with criminal antecedents entering jails in the guise of relatives to discuss subversive plans.

The state government is unnerved over the spate of criminal incidents that rocked the police administration in November and December last year, which was engineered by gangsters languishing in various jails of the state.

The police headquarters is convinced about undertrials and prisoners remaining hand-in-glove with criminals outside jails.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sunil Kumar instructed the zonal inspector-general (IG) of police Gupteshwar Pandey to ask jail officials to keep a close watch on prisoners and undertrials in the coming days.

Pandey said: “Activities of criminals would be put under surveillance.”

The IG said it was important to keep close observation on the activities of the criminals. He said it was imperative to listen to the conversation between visitors and prisoners.

Visitors throng the jail in two separate sessions of the day to have a talk with their relatives. The IG, has directed the SPs of Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Motihari, Siwan, Gopalganj and Bettiah to keep a vigil on the activities of those in the lock-up.

Vishwanath Prasad the superintendent of central jail in Muzaffarpur said the jail administration is planning to depute constables when visitors talk to prisoners. “The aim is to prevent them from discussing nefarious plans,” he said.

Besides, the names and addresses of visitors would be noted down before allowing them an entry into the prison and meeting the prisoners.