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NDTV
20-05-2025
- NDTV
Cat Found Sneaking Ganja, Cocaine Into Costa Rican Prison. How It Was Caught
Authorities in Costa Rica have intercepted an unlikely smuggler, a black-and-white cat with drugs taped to its body. The feline was caught outside the Pococi Penitentiary on May 6, after the guards noticed grey patches on its fur as it moved near the prison's barbed wire fence. Upon capture, they discovered around 236 grams of marijuana, about 68 grams of heroin, and rolling papers strapped to its back. The Costa Rican Ministry of Justice and Peace released a video of the incident on Facebook. "On the night of Tuesday, agents from the Prison Police at Pococi Prison managed to rescue a kitten that had two drug packages taped to its body. An officer stationed in one of the watchtowers spotted the animal in a grassy area and immediately raised the alarm," the ministry wrote in the caption. "Thanks to the swift actions of the responding officers, the cat was captured and the packages were removed, preventing them from reaching their intended destination. Upon inspection of the packages, one was found to contain 235.65 grams of suspected marijuana, while the other held 67.76 grams of suspected crack paste, along with two sheets of rolling paper," it added. The cat was later handed over to the National Animal Health Service for a health evaluation. The officials are currently investigating the identity of the perpetrator and whether an outside accomplice, maybe with the help of prisoners, released the cat close to the facility. Authorities are analysing surveillance footage and tracking the cat's movements to identify patterns that could lead to arrests. The case shows how most criminals smuggle illegal goods into prisons via animals. Cats, in particular, due to their stealth and ability to move unnoticed, have been used in these schemes. Cats that are lured inside the prison premises by food or taught behaviour often have tiny quantities of narcotics attached to them by inmates or their outside collaborators. Costa Rica has seen an increase in crime and drug trafficking in recent years. In 2023 alone, authorities confiscated a total of 21.3 tons of cocaine in the country.
Arab News
02-04-2025
- Arab News
Indian fisherman hangs himself in Pakistan prison amid delayed repatriation
KARACHI: An Indian fisherman has died by suicide in a Karachi prison, a senior Pakistani jail official said on Wednesday, as the incident highlighted the plight of detainees caught in the tangle of strained India-Pakistan relations. Indian and Pakistani fishermen are routinely detained by both countries' maritime agencies for allegedly entering each other's territorial waters. The poorly defined maritime boundary in the Arabian Sea, coupled with the limited navigational capabilities of many fishing boats, frequently leads to unintentional crossings. According to Pakistani prison authorities, Gaurav, son of Ram Anand, hanged himself in the prison's washroom on Tuesday night. 'He went to the washroom under the pretext of urinating and hanged himself with his drawstring,' Qazi Nazeer Ahmed, Inspector General of Prison Police in Pakistan's Sindh province, told Arab News. Malir Prison, where Gaurav took his own life, has come under scrutiny in recent years over the deaths of several detainees due to health complications. Last month, a prisoner named Babu Kana died due to health issues, while in 2023, two Indian fishermen — Balo Jetha and Soma Deva — died after their health deteriorated during incarceration. Ahmed said Gaurav was apparently suffering from 'severe depression,' which pushed him to take the extreme step of ending his life. 'His sentence was completed, but the process from the Indian side [for his release] was not finalized,' he continued. 'Fellow prisoners reported that Gaurav's behavior did not indicate he would commit suicide, but he was depressed.' Arab News reached out to the Indian High Commission, where officials declined to comment immediately. Arshad Shah, Superintendent of Malir Jail, said Gaurav had been remanded to the Karachi prison on February 17, 2022. 'The duty doctor examined him before pronouncing him dead,' he told Arab News, adding the body had been handed over to the Edhi Foundation for repatriation. Human rights activists on both sides of the border have long called for a faster process for the release of fishermen, who commit no crime but mistakenly cross invisible boundaries at sea and end up in jail, while their families suffer back home. 'According to our records, 216 Indian fishermen are still languishing in Pakistani jails, while 81 Pakistani fishermen are imprisoned in India,' Jatin Desai, an Indian rights activist, said, adding hundreds of fishermen remained in prison on both sides of the border. However, the IG prison maintained Indian nationals were treated well in jail, adding that Pakistani authorities did not delay their release once legal formalities were completed. 'This is why prisoners are regularly released and returned to their country,' he added. 'We regret that Gaurav could not reunite with his family back in India.'
