The cell-phone seized from Nalini in the special prison for women in Vellore on April 20, after she had flushed it down a toilet, was apparently smuggled into the jail over a year back. This has come as a shocking breach of protocols and rules in the high-security prison she is kept.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the cell-phone had been obtained in the name of one Ravi of Kanakasamudram village in Katpadi, and had been activated on March 13, 2009, State Law Minister Durai Murugan disclosed this on Friday in the Assembly.
Responding to the issue again raised by the senior Congress MLA Gnanasekharan, the minister said the call-details accessed by the investigating agencies have further revealed that Nalini had used the instrument to make 8 calls to the UK and one to Sri Lanka.
Besides, she had made scores of local calls, including those to her lawyer in Chennai.
With an FIR under several IPC sections having already been registered against Nalini for illegal possession of a prohibited item in a prison cell and preventing public servants from discharging their duty, Murugan said the case would be pursued based on facts thrown up by further investigation.
The police are contemplating arresting her afresh in this case, sources in Vellore has said. If the case ends in another conviction of Nalini, it would mean prolonging her jail term, sealing all chances of her early release.