Security Breaches at Bengaluru Central Jail: Inmates Caught Partying with Alcohol and Contraband

Bengaluru Central Jail continues to face scrutiny over security breaches. A new video has emerged showing inmates engaging in a party with alcohol and snacks, shortly after government officials criticized the jail for allowing preferential treatment to certain prisoners.

The footage reveals disposable glasses filled with liquor, cut fruits, and fried peanuts—suggesting a well-organized gathering inside the correctional facility. Another video shows four small liquor bottles neatly arranged while inmates dance as others create rhythmic sounds by banging utensils. These visuals cannot be independently verified by NDTV.

These incidents raise significant concerns about security protocols within the prison, which was already under scrutiny after previous videos showed notorious inmates—including an ISIS recruiter and a serial rapist-killer—using mobile phones and watching television within their cells.

Previous footage showed Zuhaib Hameed Shakeel Manna, known for recruiting for ISIS, scrolling through a phone and drinking tea while audio from either a radio or television played in the background. According to the National Investigation Agency, Manna was involved in fundraising, radicalizing Muslim youth, and illegally facilitating their travel to Syria to join ISIS.

Another video featured Umesh Reddy, implicated in 18 rape and murder cases, using two Android smartphones and a basic mobile phone, with a television installed in his quarters. In 2022, the Supreme Court commuted his death sentence to 30 years imprisonment after he claimed mental illness, though he was subsequently declared mentally sound.

Additionally, images of inmate Tarun Raju showed him using a phone and preparing food inside the jail. Raju was arrested in connection with the Ranya Rao gold smuggling operation while attempting to escape to Geneva and was later identified as the leader of a smuggling network that allegedly supplied gold in Dubai to an IPS officer's daughter.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has promised appropriate action will be taken, and the Prisons Department has initiated an investigation into the recently surfaced videos.

This morning, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara expressed zero tolerance for such security lapses and warned of stringent measures against jail officials. "I will not tolerate this nonsense. Enough is enough. This kind of incident shouldn't happen. It is said that there are fewer staff. But at least the existing staff should do proper work. It is not an excuse," he stated.