Parappana Agrahara Central jail in Karnataka’s Bengaluru has hit headlines after videos surfaced purportedly showing inmates using mobile phones, watching television, raising allegations of security lapses and preferential treatment.
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Prison authorities on Saturday launched a probe after the purported videos surfaced, PTI news agency quoted sources as saying.
The inmates in the video in question showed alleged ISIS recruiter Zuhaib Hameed Shakeel Manna and a serial rapist and killer as well as several other jailed notorious criminals, according to an NDTV report. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
In the minute-long video, Manna, a Bengaluru resident, can be seen sipping tea and scrolling through a phone as he speaks to the person recording the video. Manna, a computer application specialist, was booked by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his affiliation with the banned terror outfit ISIS as he raised funds and sent ‘gullible’ Muslim youth to join ISIS in Syria, according to a report by Indian Express.
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Another video clip has surfaced showing serial rape and murder accused Umesh Reddy using three phones inside the jail. The jail staff was reportedly aware of the phones and television being used inside the jail premises. Reddy is accused in 18 cases of rape and murder and was facing death sentence which the Supreme Court commuted, converting the punishment to a 30-year life imprisonment sentence three years ago.
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Reddy, whose rap sheet at one time extended to 18 murders and 20 rapes across Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat, was eventually convicted in nine cases. HT earlier reported that he was sentenced to death by a sessions court in Bengaluru in 2006 for the rape and murder of a 37-year-old woman in Peenya.
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Reddy reportedly joined the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 1996 and was posted in Jammu and Kashmir as a guard at the house of a commandant. There, he attempted to rape the commandant’s daughter. Though he was arrested, he managed to escape and returned to Chitradurga.
As the video clips kicked up row, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reportedly assured to investigate the matter and take necessary action.
