Rohini Jail Wardens Held in Bribery Case

Two wardens posted at Rohini Jail have been arrested for allegedly running an extortion racket inside the prison, targeting undertrial inmates and their families for several months. The arrests were carried out by officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) following a sting operation.

The accused, Dinesh Dabas and Pankaj Kumar, had been serving at the facility for nearly three years. Investigators said they demanded payments ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh from families in exchange for providing basic facilities to inmates, including cleaner cells, timely meals, and other routine amenities.

Authorities alleged that the wardens also offered additional illegal services for extra money, such as arranging mobile phones for prisoners and exempting them from certain daily duties inside the jail.

The alleged misconduct surfaced after multiple anonymous complaints were submitted to the ACB by affected families who claimed they had been pressured and threatened. In February, one family formally approached both the police and the ACB with details of the alleged demands.

Acting on the complaint, the ACB deployed a special team that posed as relatives of an inmate. On February 10, the two wardens were allegedly caught accepting a bribe during the operation. Further investigation into the case is underway.