Bengaluru: Karnataka Police have taken five men into custody, including a prison warder attached to Bengaluru Central Prison, for allegedly facilitating the transportation of mobile phones and SIM cards to convicted rapist and former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna and an undertrial prisoner, Pratap Rai.
The arrests followed the recovery of a smartphone and other electronic items from Revanna’s barrack at the high-security division of Bengaluru Central Prison during a raid conducted by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on August 11.
Smartphone recovered from Prajwal Revanna’s barrack
The CCB team reportedly found a smartphone, SIM card, charger and pen drive from the barrack where Revanna was lodged.
Revanna, who is serving a sentence following his conviction in a rape case, was subsequently produced before a court in Bengaluru in connection with the recovery of the phone. After spending three days in police custody, he was sent back to Bengaluru Central Prison on September 10.
The police investigation subsequently focused on how mobile phones and SIM cards were allegedly being transported into the prison and supplied to inmates.
Five accused taken into custody
According to the CCB, the accused were taken into custody on different dates in August and September based on a complaint filed by a CCB Police Inspector at Parappana Agrahara police station.
The police identified the accused as Naveen Kumar, Manjunath, Prakash, Siddiq and Mohammed Tauseeef. One of those taken into custody is a prison warder attached to Bengaluru Central Prison.
The CCB said Naveen Kumar was taken into custody and interrogated on August 17. He was subsequently produced before court and remanded to judicial custody.
A few days later, Manjunath and Prakash were taken into custody. The two were interrogated for five days in police custody before being remanded to judicial custody by the court.
On August 23, Siddiq and Mohammed Tauseeef were taken into custody and interrogated for two days. They were later sent to judicial custody following court proceedings.
Investigation into prison phone network
The police investigation is aimed at establishing how mobile phones and SIM cards were allegedly brought into the prison and delivered to inmates.
The CCB said its team detected cases involving the facilitation and transportation of phones into Bengaluru Central Prison for prisoners. The investigation was conducted by a team led by a Police Inspector under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Electronics City Sub-division M Narayan, and Assistant Commissioner of Police K M Satish.
The discovery of the smartphone in the high-security section has raised questions about the security measures in place at the prison and the alleged involvement of individuals with access to the facility.
The police are examining the role of the accused persons and the manner in which the prohibited items allegedly reached the prisoners.
Prajwal Revanna sent back to prison
Revanna had been produced before the court following the recovery of the smartphone from his prison barrack. After three days of police custody, he was returned to Central Prison on September 10.
The case involving the alleged supply of phones and SIM cards is separate from the criminal cases for which Revanna was convicted and imprisoned. The latest investigation concerns the alleged possession and supply of prohibited communication devices inside the prison.
The police are continuing their probe into the network allegedly involved in bringing mobile phones and SIM cards into the prison and supplying them to inmates.