Bengaluru: Prajwal Revanna found with phone, pen drive in jail; fresh FIR filed

Prajwal Revanna (File Photo)BENGALURU: Former MP Prajwal Revanna was found with a mobile phone and pen drive during a raid at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru, officials said on Wednesday.Another inmate, identified as Prathap Rai, was also found with a mobile phone.A case has been registered against the two inmates under Section 42 of the Prisons Act. Prison authorities have begun an inquiry into how the phones entered the jail.CCTV footage is being examined and officials are gathering further details before notices are served and disciplinary action is initiated."The concerned Assistant Superintendent has been placed under suspension on the report of DIG South and a show-cause notice has been issued to the SP Bangalore Central Prison. A detailed enquiry is being conducted in this incident," Alok Kumar, DGP, Prisons and Correctional Services, said.He said the raid was conducted for four to five hours and no other contraband was found.Revanna, 34, is serving a life sentence at the prison after a special court in Karnataka sentenced him in 2025 for repeatedly raping a 47-year-old domestic worker.The case was the first of three rape cases and one sexual harassment case against Revanna to go to trial and result in a verdict.The former Hassan MP, who is the grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, was once regarded as a rising political figure in the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S).His conviction marked a dramatic fall for a politician from one of Karnataka's most prominent political families.The latest jail incident is now the subject of a separate departmental inquiry, with officials examining whether prison staff were involved in allowing the mobile phones into the facility.