Shocking visuals from Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Jail have raised serious questions over prison security, after videos surfaced showing notorious inmates using mobile phones, watching TV, and enjoying special privileges inside their barracks.
Among those caught on camera is Zuhaib Hameed Shakeel Manna, an alleged ISIS recruiter, seen scrolling through his smartphone and sipping tea as a radio or television blares in the background. Another video shows Umesh Reddy, a serial rapist and killer whose death sentence was commuted to 30 years in 2022, using multiple mobile phones, including two Androids and a keypad device.
Jail staff allegedly aware of inmate privileges
According to NDTV, quoting sources, several jail officials were aware of the inmates’ activities, including Reddy’s access to phones and a television in his cell. Meanwhile, photos of Tarun Raju, accused in the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case, show him using a phone and even cooking inside prison, suggesting deeper systemic lapses.
ISIS link and organised crime nexus under scrutiny
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Zuhaib Manna played a key role in radicalising Muslim youth through a “Quran Circle Group”, raising funds, and sending recruits to Syria via Turkey to join ISIS. “He used videos showing atrocities against Muslims in Syria to manipulate and recruit youth,” the NIA had stated earlier.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident and promised strict action against those responsible. Authorities are expected to examine how inmates obtained phones, electronic devices, and other unauthorised privileges inside the high-security facility.