Warder among 5 arrested for smuggling phone for Prajwal Revanna in Bengaluru prison

The arrests followed a surprise inspection of the Security Division barracks at the Central Prison on August 11, during which a prohibited mobile phone, SIM card, charger and notebook were recovered from a cell occupied by Rai and Revanna.

In Short

• Surprise barrack inspection uncovered a phone, SIM, charger and notebook
• Investigators say inmates, warders and outsiders coordinated phone smuggling operations
• Five accused allegedly bought devices and arranged their entry into prison

A prison warder is among five people arrested in connection with the alleged smuggling of a mobile phone and SIM card for former MP Prajwal Revanna and undertrial prisoner Prathap Rai inside Bengaluru's Central Prison, police said on Friday.

The arrests followed a surprise inspection of the Security Division barracks at the Central Prison on August 11, during which a prohibited mobile phone, SIM card, charger and notebook were recovered from a cell occupied by Rai and Revanna.

A case was subsequently registered at Parappana Agrahara Police Station.

During the investigation, five people who had procured the mobile phone and SIM card and facilitated their entry into the prison were arrested on different dates, police said.

According to police, the accused revealed that the mobile phone had allegedly been smuggled into the prison through a prison warder, while the SIM card was brought in through an undertrial prisoner. The phone and SIM card were allegedly being used by Rai and Revanna.

Naveen Kumar was arrested on August 17 and produced before a court on August 24, which remanded him to judicial custody. Manjunath and Prakash were produced before the court on August 20 and taken into police custody for five days before being remanded to judicial custody on August 24.

Siddiq and Mohammed Tauseef were produced before the court on August 23 and taken into police custody for two days. They were subsequently remanded to judicial custody on August 24.

On September 8, Rai and Revanna were produced before the court and taken into police custody for three days for questioning. They were sent back to prison on September 10 following the court's order.

In a separate case, police traced two Airtel SIM cards found with four mobile phones and a charger using technical data obtained through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal.

The investigation revealed that two of the prohibited phones had allegedly been procured by prison warder Srinivas Naik. He was arrested on August 28 and allegedly confessed to purchasing the phones using the fictitious name "Rahul" and supplying around 12 mobile phones illegally inside the prison, police said.

In the third case, police traced a mobile phone and SIM card found inside the prison through the phone's sale records and identified Bharat alias Bhuvan as the purchaser.

Police said the phone had allegedly been supplied on the instructions of Bharat alias KTM Bharat, an inmate currently in judicial custody, with the alleged involvement of prison Chief Warder Vijay Kumar.

Vijay Kumar was arrested on August 28 and allegedly confessed to his involvement, police said. The investigation is continuing based on technical data into the alleged involvement of Bharat and other prison staff.

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