Mobile phones, cash seized from prison cell of mastermind of American Centre attack in Kolkata
Prison authorities in Kolkata seized mobile phones, Wi-Fi equipment, and cash from the cell of Aftab Ahmed Ansari, a convicted mastermind of the 2002 American Centre attack. An investigation is underway to determine if he was coordinating with external contacts.
Why it matters
The incident raises significant security concerns regarding the management of high-profile terror convicts and their ability to maintain communication networks from within prison.
Three mobile phones, Wi-Fi equipment and ₹31,000 in cash were seized from the cell of Aftab Ahmed Ansari, the mastermind of the 2002 American Centre attack in Kolkata serving jail term, officials said on Saturday (August 29, 2026).
The seizure at the Presidency Correctional Home prompted the jail authorities to lodge a complaint with the Hastings Police Station, which has registered a case and begun an investigation, they said.
Ansari, convicted in the American Centre attack case and serving a life term, is lodged in cell number 14 at the correctional home.
A search was conducted following intelligence inputs that Ansari was allegedly using a mobile phone inside the prison and had access to the internet, an official of the correctional home told PTI .
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