Berhampur, Feb. 15: Police have found mobile phones, SIM cards and a tender paper from the undertrial prisoners lodged in Circle Jail here.

The recovery hinted at the possible involvement of criminals in tender fixing, in which gangsters threaten the contractors not to take part in the tender process to favour a particular contractor.

Superintendent of police Prateek Mohanty led the raid in response to a directive from the state home department in the wake of a shoot-out in Bhanjanagar sub-jail on Tuesday, in which an undertrial prisoner was killed and two others attempted to escape.

“One mobile phone, SIM card, three mobile chargers and a tender paper of the irrigation department were seized during the raid,” said Mohanty.

Mobile phones are not allowed inside the jail. However, the criminals have managed to bring them with the assistance of jail employees, said a police official. Mobile phones and other objectionable materials were seized from a cell where dreaded criminal Chaka Parida of Ganjam and a few other undertrial prisoners were lodged.

“It is difficult to identify the culprit as a number of prisoners are lodged in the cell,” said Mohanty. Knives and intoxicants were also seized from the jail.