Bengaluru: Over 140 pornographic videos, OTT content on pen drives and nearly a month of constant conversations with people outside — these are the luxuries that were being enjoyed by rape convict and former MP Prajwal Revanna at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Jail.
“We obtained all this information from the raids inside the jail cells, where we seized the accused’s (Revanna) illegally possessed smartphone,” a senior police official told ThePrint, requesting anonymity. The seizures were made during a surprise inspection at the prison last month.
The 36-year-old former MP of Karnataka’s Hassan and grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 11.5 lakh by a special court in August last year for raping a house-help at a farmhouse in Holenarasipura, Hassan district.
The official said the pornographic content was found on the phone, while the seized pen drive contained several web series and other entertainment videos. Initial findings showed that Prajwal had made several calls to his MLA father, HD Revanna, and his mother. However, there is no evidence yet to establish whether he called any of his victims, attempted to tamper with evidence or intimidate anyone, the official added.
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‘Jail warden smuggled SIM cards’
According to the official, jail warden Prakash Gawde routinely smuggled SIM cards into the prison in coordination with a murder accused named Manjunath. “These SIM cards were sold inside for Rs 7,000-14,000 each,” the officer added.
The SIM cards were bought from Punganur in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, as only those with roaming facilities work inside the central jail, which has jammers. The buyer, Siddique, then handed them to one Tausif at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru.
“Tausif told Siddique to pass on the SIM cards without the knowledge of the police personnel there. So, Siddique wrapped the SIM cards inside carbon paper, then in tape and passed it on to Tausif,” the police officer said.
Tausif then passed the SIM cards to Naveen, an aide of Manjunath, who handed them to Gawde. “Gawde then put the SIM cards in his underwear and smuggled them into prison,” the officer said.
Gawde also smuggled at least seven to eight smartphones into the jail. Similarly, two other accused, Vijay Kumar and Srinivas Naik, smuggled around 18-20 smartphones, which were distributed among high-paying inmates, the official said.
Seven people have been arrested in connection with the Revanna mobile phone case, the police officer said.
A case has been registered under Section 42 of the Prisons Act, 1894, which deals with penalties for introducing or removing prohibited articles from prisons and illegal communication with prisoners.
Not the first time
Such irregularities have become increasingly common in Bengaluru’s central jail, with multiple incidents coming to light in recent months. There have also been allegations that some police personnel have been facilitating such privileges for inmates in exchange for hefty sums of money.
In August 2024, the Karnataka government said seven officials from Bengaluru’s central jail had been suspended and a high-level inquiry ordered after social media posts showed Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, the main accused in a murder case, receiving special treatment in prison.
In one picture, Darshan was seen smoking a cigarette, while in a widely shared video, he was seen on a video call with an aide, smiling and waving at the camera.
In August last year, Srinivas alias Gubbachi (Sparrow) Seena, a notorious rowdy-sheeter from Bengaluru, celebrated his birthday inside Parappana Agrahara Central Jail, surrounded by friends and associates. He was seen cutting a cake and being garlanded with apples.
In July 2017, then chief minister Siddaramaiah ordered a high-level inquiry into alleged favours extended to VK Sasikala, the former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagam (AIADMK) leader who was jailed in a disproportionate assets case. D Roopa, then deputy inspector-general (prisons), had accused jail authorities of accepting a Rs 2 crore bribe from Sasikala to provide her preferential treatment.
In her report, Roopa alleged that during a visit to Parappana Agrahara, she found that Sasikala, who was serving a four-year sentence, had been provided a separate kitchen and had met 28 visitors in 31 days between 16 February and 18 March 2017.
She also detailed other irregularities, including drug abuse, unregulated movement of prisoners and instances of medical staff being assaulted by inmates to obtain favourable reports. The report further alleged that fake stamp paper racket kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi had other inmates at his disposal.
(Edited by Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam)
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