Bengaluru: Two Parappana Agrahara Prison Staffers Arrested For Allegedly Supplying Phones To Inmates

Two Parappana Agrahara Central Prison staffers in Bengaluru have been arrested for allegedly supplying mobile phones to inmates for money. Police said the accused bought phones using a fake name and supplied them to prisoners.

Two more staff members of the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison have been arrested by the police for allegedly supplying mobile phones to inmates in exchange for money. The arrested accused have been identified as Chief Observer Vijay Kumar and Observer Srinivas Naik. According to the police, the two allegedly purchased mobile phones using a proxy, name and supplied them to prisoners. Two separate FIRs have been registered at the Parappana Agrahara police station in connection with the case.

A team led by Electronic City sub-division ACP Satish arrested the accused based on technical evidence gathered during the investigation.

12 Mobiles Bought Under A Fake Name

The investigation began in January when prison officials recovered four mobile phones, two SIM cards and a charger from inside the central prison.

The police subsequently used the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal to trace the mobile numbers and determine where the SIM cards had been used. The investigation revealed that the SIM cards recovered from the prison had been active in two mobile phones belonging to prison warden Srinivas Naik.

During questioning, Srinivas allegedly confessed to purchasing 12 mobile phones using the fake name ‘Rahul’. He also allegedly admitted to supplying two of the phones to an inmate.

The investigation gained further momentum in May when another mobile phone and SIM card were recovered from the prison. The police began tracing the new SIM card and gathering details about its sale.

The mobile service provider informed the police that the SIM card had been sold through an agency in Andhra Pradesh. Following this lead, investigators obtained further details about the mobile phone sale.

The trail eventually led the police to Bharat, alias Bhuvan, who had purchased the phone. Based on information provided by him during the investigation, the police arrested Chief Observer Vijay Kumar, who was allegedly involved in the racket.

The investigation is continuing as the police work to identify other people who may have been involved in the illegal supply of mobile phones to inmates.