Bengaluru Jail Security Under Scrutiny After ISIS Recruiter Found Using Smartphone; 5 Officials Suspended

Bengaluru: A serious security breach at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Jail has led to an official inquiry after a video allegedly showing ISIS recruiter Zuhab Hameed Shakeel Manna using a smartphone inside the prison surfaced on social media.

The footage, shared on X (formerly Twitter), has resulted in the suspension of five jail officials, including the chief superintendent.

Video Raises Questions Over Prison Surveillance

According to reports, the video, posted on November 8, shows Manna, who has been incarcerated since 2018 for raising funds for the terror group ISIS, operating a smartphone from within the high-security facility.

The viral footage has intensified scrutiny over the enforcement of internal security protocols and the possibility of unauthorised communications from inmates.

Retired IPS officer Shesh Paul Vaid, who formerly served as Director General of Police (Prisons) in Jammu and Kashmir, commented on X that Indian jails remain “a neglected sector of the government with no training, lack of infrastructure, and primarily focused on reformation, not meant to house dangerous terrorists and hardened criminals.” He urged both central and state authorities to adopt stronger reforms to prevent such incidents.

Officials Suspended as Pattern of Lapses Emerges

Karnataka authorities have confirmed that at least five officials were suspended following the discovery, pending an internal probe into how Manna accessed the smartphone. Megh Updates also posted a separate video showing convicted serial rapist Umesh Reddy watching an item song on a mobile device inside the same facility, suggesting repeated lapses in monitoring.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported in 2023 that over one-fifth of Indian prisons face issues related to mobile phone smuggling. Parappana Agrahara Jail has previously faced similar cases, including an October 2025 incident where a warden was caught attempting to smuggle electronic devices inside.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier introduced the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act in 2023 to modernise outdated laws and improve security measures. However, varying implementation across states continues to expose gaps in prison management and oversight.