New Delhi: A mobile phone with apps like Netflix, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Prime Video installed was recovered from the barrack of former MP Prajwal Revanna. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) seized the phone during a raid at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Jail.
Revanna is currently serving a life sentence in prison. In addition to the phone, a charger, a notebook, and a pen drive were also recovered during the raid.
Mobile phone recovered during raid
According to officials, a light blue Redmi 5G phone was found in a room in Security Section 3. This room was used by Revanna and another inmate, Pratap Rai.
The apps on the phone were password-protected. Both Revanna and Rai told officials they did not know the password.
Rai claimed that the phone, charger, and pen drive belonged to him and that he used the phone to communicate with his relatives and lawyer. Meanwhile, Revanna also told officials that he had spoken to his relatives and lawyer using Rai’s phone.
CCB files complaint
The CCB has seized all the items, including the mobile phone. A complaint has been filed against both inmates under relevant sections of the Karnataka Prisons (Amendment) Act, 2022 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Police are now examining CCTV footage and other information to determine how the contraband entered the prison.
Action taken against prison officials
According to DGP Prisons and Correctional Services Alok Kumar, the raid lasted several hours and involved checking high-profile inmates. Another mobile phone was also recovered from Pratap Rai.
Following the incident, Assistant Superintendent Iranna Rangapur has been suspended for alleged negligence. A show-cause notice has been issued to the Superintendent of Bengaluru Central Jail.
Investigations will also be conducted in other prisons in Karnataka
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said that similar searches will be conducted in other prisons in the state. He said that if any official is found involved in illegal activities in the prison, strict action will be taken against them.
Prajwal Revanna was the Member of Parliament from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency from 2019 to 2023. In 2025, he was convicted in a rape case and sentenced to life imprisonment.