Karnataka police arrested five men, including a prison warder at Bengaluru’s Central Prison, for smuggling mobile phones and SIM cards to inmates in the high-security facility. The case involves convicted rapist and former MP Prajwal Revanna, after a Central Crime Branch raid on August 11 found a smartphone, SIM card, charger, and pen drive in his barrack. Investigators stated the phone was used to access explicit material, and noted an undertrial named Pratap Rai also received assistance from the network.
Police detained the suspects between August and September following a complaint from a crime branch inspector. Revanna was held in police custody for three days regarding the phone before returning to the prison on September 10, while continuing to face proceedings related to his sexual abuse conviction. The Electronics City sub-division police led the investigation into how the devices entered the facility.