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Bengaluru: Allegations of major security lapses and preferential treatment inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru have come to light after a viral video purportedly shows notorious inmates – including Umesh Reddy, one of India’s most notorious rapists and serial killers, a suspected terrorist and a gold smuggler accused – using mobile phones and enjoying inappropriate luxuries, much to the embarrassment of prison authorities.
Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in Bengaluru on Saturday that he was unaware of the development but assured to “look into the matter” and initiate necessary action. The series of videos immediately raised serious questions about systemic corruption within the high-security prison and adherence to prison manual protocols.
The purported footage purportedly shows Umesh Reddy, who was convicted for raping 20 women and murdering 18 women between 1996 and 2022, openly using two Android phones and a keypad mobile inside the jail. Reddy’s death sentence was commuted by the Supreme Court to 30 years’ imprisonment without remission in 2022.
He was initially sentenced to death but later sought clemency, claiming he was mentally ill. However, medical examination at NIMHANS hospital confirmed that he was mentally healthy.
Sources also claim that Telugu actor Tarun Raju, arrested in the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case, is living a “cool lifestyle” with access to mobile phone and television in his cell.
Now questions are being raised as to how such privileges were given without the knowledge or consent of the jail authorities. “Is this a prison or a luxurious lodge?” a senior police source questioned, pointing out the scale of the alleged privileges.
Tarun, a close aide of Ranya Rao, was reportedly arrested while trying to flee to Geneva. She previously played the lead role in the 2018 Telugu film Parichayam and has also acted in Tamil films. Investigating agencies have identified him as the mastermind of a gold smuggling network, which allegedly supplied gold to Ranya Rao in Dubai.
Ranya Rao, daughter of a senior IPS officer, is accused of using her family’s influence and access to a police protection vehicle to aid illegal activities.
Even more worrying are claims that the video also shows suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba and other foreign and domestic extremist organization members using smartphones to communicate within the central jail, a phenomenon that poses a national security threat.
This latest controversy comes after the Supreme Court’s earlier direction to ensure that prisoners do not get luxury facilities was issued in the wake of the fan murder case involving Kannada superstar Darshan.
–IANS