After 127 mobiles seized in 2 months, Bengaluru police seek body warrants to probe ‘mobile mafia’ inside Parappana Agrahara jail

Nearly two months after the seizure of 127 mobile phones and the registration of 25 FIRs, the Bengaluru police have obtained body warrants for inmates allegedly involved in an organised mobile phone racket operating from within the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, officials said Tuesday.

The move comes despite multi-layered security at the high-security jail, including signal jammers, round-the-clock CCTV surveillance and deployment of the Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KSISF).

The police said the decision follows specific intelligence inputs indicating that five to six criminals, including Bonda Manja, were found in possession of mobile phones inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.

Bonda Manja is currently in prison in connection with an attempt-to-murder case registered at Konnangunta police station in 2023–24, for which he is under judicial custody. The police said he has over 20 cases registered against him across the city, including murder.

The intensified probe follows a fresh incident reported last Friday at around 12.10 pm, when Karnataka State Industrial Security Force personnel intercepted a woman attempting to smuggle a mobile phone into the prison premises.

The incident occurred at the General Visitors’ Section, located on the left side of the prison complex. The accused, Lakshmi Narasimha, 38, obtained a visitor pass to meet under-trial prisoner Bharath. During routine frisking, KSISF staff detected a mobile phone concealed in her inner garments. They also recovered a blue-coloured Ace Company keypad phone along with an Airtel SIM card, which were handed over to the police.

A case has been registered against both the woman and the under-trial prisoner, prison authorities said.

This incident adds to the 25 cases registered between November 26, 2025, and January 3, 2026, during which 127 mobile phones were seized from within the prison premises, all lodged at the Parappana Agrahara police station.

Official sources said earlier prison-related investigations had failed to produce substantial leads, prompting authorities to insist on body warrants, an approach they said would not only strengthen prison-related probes but also assist local police in ongoing criminal investigations.

Based on intelligence-led assessments, police found that several inmates with criminal backgrounds were operating mobile phones from inside the prison.

Following these recoveries, body warrants were obtained, enabling investigators to formally question the inmates between January 8 and 10 as they sought to identify internal and external networks facilitating the illegal use of phones within the jail.

The police will also forensically analyse the seized devices, check call data records to identify external facilitators, financial backers, and associates allegedly enabling the racket.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Alok Kumar, Director General of Police (Prison and Correctional Services), said security measures have been significantly intensified across Karnataka’s prisons.

“Checks at prison gates have been intensified. Whether it is a family member or even a police official, everyone is being thoroughly frisked,” Kumar said.

He added that the supply of food from home, permitted only with court approval, is being curtailed following instances in which food items were allegedly used to conceal mobile phones and other prohibited materials.

Authorities are also considering the deployment of drones to monitor the outer periphery of central prisons, following the incidents last month in which objects were allegedly thrown into prison premises from outside.

“In addition, continuous special drives and surprise checks are being conducted to plug loopholes and prevent such incidents,” Kumar added.

The incidents have once again highlighted that the illegal use of mobile phones by inmates continues unabated, even as residents living around the central prison complain that the signal jammers installed inside the jail are disrupting mobile connectivity in surrounding neighbourhoods, causing daily hardship to the public.