CCB Raid at Bengaluru Jail Finds Phones in Prajwal Revanna Barrack

A fresh security concern has emerged at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison after the Central Crime Branch carried out a major search inside the facility on Tuesday night.

The operation reportedly involved more than 90 CCB personnel, who checked different barracks and areas of the prison. More than ten mobile phones were recovered during the search, including an Android phone from the barrack where former MP Prajwal Revanna is lodged.

The discovery has raised questions about how unauthorised mobile phones are reaching inmates despite security arrangements at the high security prison. Authorities are now looking into how the phone reached Revanna’s barrack and whether it was being used by him.

Investigation into the mobile phone
The CCB operation was reportedly linked to concerns that inmates could be maintaining contact with people outside the prison and that illegal activities may be continuing from inside the facility. The wider search was also carried out amid efforts to identify possible links between inmates and criminal networks outside the prison.

Officials are examining the seized devices as part of the investigation. Reports have also said that a fresh case has been initiated following the recovery of prohibited electronic items from Revanna’s barrack.

The question of who supplied the phone and how it bypassed prison security is expected to be a key part of the investigation.

Prison official suspended
The incident has also led to disciplinary action within the prison administration. Reports say an assistant superintendent, Eeranna Rangapur, was suspended following the recovery of the phone from Revanna’s barrack. A show cause notice was also issued to the prison superintendent over the alleged security lapse.

The authorities are expected to examine whether there was any involvement or negligence by prison staff in allowing prohibited devices to reach inmates.

Parappana Agrahara has faced security questions before
This is not the first time Parappana Agrahara prison has come under scrutiny over mobile phones and alleged security lapses. Earlier this year, authorities recovered multiple phones and SIM cards during separate searches. In May, six mobile phones and eight SIM cards were seized in one such operation.

The prison also faced a major controversy in March after videos reportedly showed inmates using mobile phones inside the facility. Three prison officials were suspended following the episode, while authorities began investigating how the devices had entered the prison.

Earlier reports have also pointed to a larger problem involving unauthorised phones inside the facility. In January, Bengaluru police were investigating what was described as an organised mobile phone racket after 127 phones were reportedly seized over a two month period.

The latest CCB raid has once again put the spotlight on security inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. Investigators will now have to determine how the seized phones entered the facility and whether inmates were using them to maintain unauthorised outside contact.