Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has visited Bengaluru Central Prison to probe allegations that a suspected ISIS terrorist enjoyed access to a mobile phone and other unauthorised comforts inside jail, sources said on Thursday.
The move follows the circulation of a viral video from Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in November, purportedly showing inmate Zuhab Hameed Shakeel Manna, an accused ISIS fundraiser, using a smartphone and watching television in what appeared to be luxury conditions. Investigators are questioning Manna about his contacts and network, while also examining the possible role of prison staff in facilitating undue privileges for an inmate linked to a global terror group.
According to sources, this is the second time NIA officers have visited the Bengaluru Central Prison in connection with the matter, and further details are awaited. Manna, arrested in Dubai in 2020 and extradited to India in 2023, also faces allegations of radicalising youth to join ISIS in Syria. A recently surfaced video purportedly shows him handling a phone and referring to password-related concerns, prompting fresh questions about prison discipline and security.
The same set of videos also allegedly features serial rapist and killer Umesh Reddy, actress Ranya Rao’s associate Tarun and other inmates using mobile phones, listening to music and watching television inside the jail, triggering a wider debate over lax supervision in Karnataka’s prisons. State Home Minister G. Parameshwara has said the government is treating the issue seriously, convening a meeting with the ADGP (Prisons), senior officials and superintendents from major prisons, including Belagavi, Shivamogga and Ballari, to decide stricter measures and accountability for lapses.
Parameshwara has indicated that routine steps like suspensions and FIRs may not be sufficient, questioning whether such facilities are compatible with the very idea of a prison and stressing that officers are empowered by law and must be held responsible if they fail in their duties. He added that central agencies have made evidence-backed observations, which will be discussed at the review meeting. The Karnataka BJP has staged protests over the revelations, with Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka alleging that the suspected ISIS operative’s access to a mobile phone in Bengaluru jail could have possible links to the Delhi blasts and demanding a deeper probe.
(Inputs from IANS)