Jail staffer arrested for carrying phone in undergarment for Parappana Agrahara inmate

BENGALURU: A jail staffer at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru was arrested for attempting to smuggle a mobile phone into the prison.

The accused is Amar Pranje (29), who concealed the mobile phone and earphones in his undergarment and was caught during a routine security check on October 23.

Amar had allegedly received Rs 10,000 as advance payment from a murder-accused inmate to get him phone into the jail. The inmate had promised to pay Rs 20,000 for the phone.

Amar reported for duty on October 23. At this time, the KSISF staff tried to check him at the entrance. However, Amar refused to be checked and tried to go back. The staff, suspicious of this, caught him, and when they checked, a smartphone and earphones were found in his undergarment.

Amar’s arrest has raised concerns about security and corruption within the prison system. The police have arrested Amar Pranje with the mobile phone and a case has been registered at the Parappana Agrahara police station based on a complaint from Jail Superintendent H A Paramesh.

According to the Prison Act, the use of mobile phones is prohibited inside the jail. During Amar’s questioning, he had revealed that he had taken Rs 20,000 from a prisoner in a murder case in the jail and tried to bring the mobile phone from outside.

Amar admitted during the questioning that he had taken Rs 10,000 in advance and tried to bring the mobile phone inside. The police have decided to take the prisoner who had given money for the purchase of the mobile phone into custody and interrogate him. Amar Pranje had been working as an observer in the Parappana Agrahara jail since 2019.