LUCKNOW, Nov. 8 -- An extortion call to a Baghpat trader exposed the brazen activities of criminals operating from inside a jail. Krishnapal Rana received a call demanding Rs 20 lakh extortion from a notorious criminal Gyanendra Dhaka lodged in Lalitpur jail. The trader reported the incident to police, leading to a raid at the jail where a mobile phone was recovered from Dhaka's possession on Thursday after which three jail officials, including jailer Jeevan Singh, deputy jailer Prince Babu and warder Akash Kushwaha, were suspended by DG (jail) PC Meena. The police had registered a case against Dhaka and others involved in the extortion racket in Doghat police station of Baghpat on November 5. A senior Baghpat official said that Dhaka, a history-sheeter, was lodged in Lalitpur jail in connection with the murder of one Praveen alias Babbu, a resident of Baghpat. "We were surprised when the trader approached the police to lodge his FIR of getting an extortion call from Dhaka on November 4, but the jail inspection has proved that the extortion call was made from him," he said. "The police are investigating how Dhaka managed to get a mobile phone inside the jail and identify others involved in the extortion network," he added. The official said the incident has raised serious concerns about the security and management of jails in Uttar Pradesh, following a similar case in May 2025, where irregularities were found during an inspection of the district jail. Despite previous inspections revealing irregularities, no significant changes were made, allowing such activities to continue. On May 31, 2025, an inspection by the District Legal Services Authority found several irregularities in the jail, including gutka pouches and tobacco products littered outside the cells, and items like mattresses, pillows and branded goods in the cell of former MP Rizwan Zaheer. The current incident, where a mobile phone was used to demand extortion, raised questions about how such items are smuggled into the jail. In a press note shared with media on Thursday, the jail administration officials had informed that the incident came to light when a mobile phone was recovered from the possession of an undertrial Gyanendra Dhaka during a routine search. They said the prisoner had concealed the phone in his clothing. Following the incident, a preliminary investigation was conducted by the deputy inspector general of prisons, Kanpur region, they stated. "As per the investigation findings, the three suspended jail personnel had been negligent in their duties, allowing the prisoner to possess the mobile phone. The trio has been suspended with immediate effect, and disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against them," said the jail administration spokesperson....