Mobile phone jammers have been commissioned in Mangalore District Prison. Five new 5G jammers have been installed by the Telecommunication Consultants India Limited (TCIL), a Central government agency, at the district prison. These new jammers have replaced the old in-operative mobile phone jammers. After trial runs for nearly a month, the new jammers were commissioned on Sunday, March 23.

The residents in the vicinity are reporting of problems caused due to drop of mobile phone network. Many professionals and other citizens were facing problems with sudden loss of mobile network in prison’s vicinity. I“While the intention behind installation of mobile jammers is understandable, it has resulted in significant collateral damage to residents in and around a one-kilometer radius of the jail.

In a post on social media, cardiologist Padmanabha Kamath said a patient from Horanadu, who had suffered a heart attack, made multiple calls to reach him while the patient was to Mangalore for treatment on Sunday. Unable to reach him, the patient reached the hospital. His postgraduate student reached doctor’s house to inform about the arrival of the patient. Dr. Kamath rushed to hospital in time to perform a life-saving angioplasty.

Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services, Malini Krishnamurthy, said that “We are working with TCIL to recalibrate the jammers in a way there is minimal inconvenience to nearby residents. The process is on and it will take few days,”.