Mangaluru: An undertrial prisoner at Mangaluru jail was reportedly assaulted and extorted by fellow inmates who demanded money under threat of death. A formal complaint has been lodged at Barke Police Station by Jail Superintendent Sharanabasappa.
The victim, Mithun, who is incarcerated in Cell No. 5, Block B, was jailed in connection with a case registered at Ullal Police Station on April 25. According to the complaint, four other undertrial prisoners — Dhanush Bhandari, Sachin Talapady, Dileesh, and Layi Veigas — allegedly ganged up and attacked Mithun around 5 PM on July 9.
The accused are said to have demanded ₹50,000 from Mithun, threatening to kill him if he failed to pay up. They also intimidated him into silence, warning against informing prison staff.
Under duress, Mithun reportedly called his wife using the prison phone and managed to arrange ₹20,000, which was transferred via PhonePe to mobile numbers allegedly linked to Sachin Talapady.
The extortion came to light only during a routine prison inspection on July 12, when senior police officials, including the Assistant Commissioner of Police and Barke Police inspectors, visited the facility. It was during this inspection that Mithun gathered the courage to hand over a written complaint to the Jail Superintendent.
Following this, a case has been registered against the four undertrial inmates, and investigations are ongoing.