Five more phones with active SIM cards seized from Central Prison

Despite heightened security and surveillance, mobile phones with active SIM cards continue to be seized in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. Two fresh FIRs have been registered following the discovery of five mobile phones and SIM cards inside the prison on Sunday and Tuesday.

Prison officials now suspect that some inmates and prison staff may be operating a “mobile service” inside the facility. During an inspection led by Sharanaiah Hiremath, the prison jailor, an under-trial prisoner (UTP) named Madhu, was found carrying a mobile phone and behaving suspiciously near the special security cell. Further searches led to the recovery of another phone with an active SIM card hidden under a wash basin in the washroom.

Authorities believe that these mobile phones are being used by inmates who pay high prices to gangs. There is also suspicion that some prison staff may be involved, as smuggling phones into the prison without inside help is deemed unlikely.

In another raid led by Assistant Superintendent Karna B. Kshathri, three additional mobile phones with active SIM cards were found on the window sill of the washroom in Barrack No. 8, where UTPs are housed.

All five seized phones have been sent for forensic analysis by the Parappana Agrahara Police.

This incident has drawn further attention to ongoing security issues at the prison. Following a previous high-profile incident involving actor Darshan, a security audit was conducted, leading to the installation of additional mobile jammers, surveillance cameras, and tighter security checks. However, since these measures were introduced, more than two dozen mobile phones have been confiscated from the prison.