Undertrial alleges convicts running extortion racket out of Bengaluru Central Prison
extortion racket
is operating from within the high-security Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara, and that he is a victim himself.
Central Crime Branch (CCB) personnel have arrested three people, identified as Likith, Rakesh, and Anand, following a complaint from Arul Kumar, who is out on bail, an officer said, adding that a deeper investigation is under way into the alleged illegal network being run from inside the prison.
Kumar, a resident of Begur Koppa Main Road and a sheep farmer near Anekal, faces a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case and was released on bail two months ago. He had previously spent seven years in prison after being arrested for murder in 2019 by Puttenahalli police.
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According to his complaint, Arul started receiving threatening calls on WhatsApp from inside the prison after being released. He identified three prisoners who demanded money — Nelson who's convicted in a robbery case, convicts Saawan alias Bablu, and Viji alias Guru.
They allegedly threatened to kill him if he failed to comply.
Arul said he made several payments via payment apps to phone numbers linked to the accused, and the transactions were conducted through local shops along Bannerghatta Road. He started looking into the alleged racket and found that many undertrials were being extorted similarly.
Payments were allegedly funnelled through relatives of convicts and delivered to prisoners in cash, supporting their extravagant lifestyle behind bars, Arul stated in his complaint, adding that those facilitating the transfers on the outside received a cut of each transaction.
The racket appears widespread, with more rowdy-sheeters suspected to be running similar extortion operations using digital payment platforms. The role of the three arrested in the matter is still being probed.
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