Warder smuggled mobile phone into Bengaluru jail used by Prajwal Revanna; 9 arrested in three cases
Bengaluru: Bengaluru police have cracked three cases involving the illegal supply and use of prohibited mobile phones inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, arresting nine people, including two prison warders, and uncovering an alleged network through which a mobile phone was smuggled into the jail by a warder and a SIM card was brought in through an undertrial prisoner.
The investigation also led police to a prohibited mobile phone, SIM card, charger and notebook recovered from the cell occupied by undertrial prisoner Prathap Rai and convicted former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna during a surprise inspection on August 11.
Police said the mobile phone was allegedly smuggled into the prison through a warder, while the SIM card was brought inside through an undertrial prisoner and was allegedly used by Rai and Prajwal Revanna.
Police said five people who had allegedly purchased the mobile phone and SIM card and facilitated their transportation into the prison were arrested at different stages of the investigation.
Technical data and interrogation of the accused helped investigators establish the alleged route through which the prohibited devices entered the prison.
Rai and Revanna were produced before a court on September 8 and taken into police custody for three days for interrogation in connection with the case. On September 10, following the court’s order, both were sent back to prison.
The investigation into the first case began after prison authorities recovered four mobile phones, two SIM cards and a charger on January 13. Police traced the mobile numbers linked to the two Airtel SIM cards and obtained technical information through the CEIR portal to identify the devices in which they had been used.
The investigation led police to Srinivas Naik, a warder at the Central Prison, who was taken into custody on August 28. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to purchasing two of the phones under the fictitious name ‘Rahul’. Police said Naik also confessed to purchasing around 12 mobile phones in a similar manner, keeping them in his possession and illegally supplying them inside the prison.
In the second case, a mobile phone and SIM card recovered from inside the prison on August 20 were traced through technical details and the phone’s sale records. Police found that the device was initially sold to an agency in Andhra Pradesh before tracing it to Bharat alias Bhuvan, who had purchased it.
Further questioning allegedly revealed the involvement of Bharat alias KTM Bharat, who is currently in judicial custody at the Central Prison, and Vijay Kumar, a chief warder. Vijay Kumar was taken into custody on August 28 and allegedly confessed to his involvement. Police said technical data also indicated the involvement of other prison staff.
In the third case, police said the investigation revealed that the seized mobile phone had been brought into the prison through a warder, while the SIM card was allegedly brought through an undertrial prisoner. Naveen Kumar, Manjunath, Prakash, Siddiq and Mohammed Tauseef were arrested at different stages and subsequently remanded to judicial custody after interrogation.
Police said further investigation is underway to identify other inmates and prison staff involved in the illegal procurement, smuggling, supply and use of prohibited mobile phones inside the Central Prison.
The three cases were detected by a team of Parappana Agrahara Police Station under the guidance of M. Narayan, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Electronic City Division, and the leadership of Satish K.M., Assistant Commissioner of Police, Electronic City Sub-Division.