Probe Launched After ISIS Operative, Serial Rapist Seen Using Mobile Phones Inside Bengaluru Jail in Viral Video

The Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru has come under intense scrutiny after videos surfaced online purportedly showing inmates freely using mobile phones and watching television inside prison premises, raising serious questions about security lapses and possible preferential treatment.

According to PTI, prison authorities have launched an internal probe after the videos went viral on Saturday. The footage allegedly features ISIS recruiter Zuhaib Hameed Shakeel Manna, a convicted serial rapist and murderer Umesh Reddy, and several other notorious inmates. However, Hindustan Times could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.

ISIS Suspect Seen Using Phone

In one of the videos, Manna — a Bengaluru resident and computer applications specialist — is seen sipping tea and scrolling through a mobile phone while chatting with another inmate.
Manna was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for allegedly recruiting and funding individuals to join the banned terror outfit ISIS in Syria, according to The Indian Express.

Serial Killer Using Multiple Phones

Another clip reportedly shows Umesh Reddy, convicted in multiple rape and murder cases, using three mobile phones inside his cell. Reports suggest that jail staff were aware of the unauthorized devices and television sets being used within the premises.

Reddy, once accused in 18 rape and murder cases across Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, was convicted in nine of them. Initially sentenced to death by a Bengaluru court in 2006 for the rape and murder of a 37-year-old woman, his sentence was later commuted by the Supreme Court to 30 years of life imprisonment in 2022.

A former CRPF jawan, Reddy was dismissed from service after an attempted rape incident in Jammu and Kashmir in 1996. He later fled custody and went on a years-long crime spree before being arrested.

CM Orders Investigation

Following public outrage, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the government would thoroughly investigate the matter and take appropriate action against those responsible for any security breach.

Authorities are now examining how the inmates managed to obtain electronic devices inside one of the state’s most high-security prisons.