By: Express News ServiceBangalore | November 9, 2025 11:54 AM IST 2 min readAt least six videos show prisoners using smartphones, watching television, and moving freely within the jail. (Special Arrangement)Months after the Supreme Court cautioned about special treatment inside Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Jail for film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, new videos surfaced Saturday showing high-security inmates, including a serial rapist and terror accused, freely using smartphones inside the facility.At least six videos show prisoners using smartphones, watching television, and moving freely within the jail. One clip shows serial rapist and killer Umesh Reddy, a convict in 20 rape and murder cases between 1996 and 2022, sitting beside a TV in his cell, talking on a smartphone.Another video captures Juhad Hameed Shakeel Manna, accused of recruiting for the terror group ISIS, using both a smartphone and a basic handset alongside other inmates.PV Anand Reddy, Additional Inspector General of Prisons (AIGP), said Saturday that the videos were from 2023 and 2025. “A probe has been ordered to ascertain how the mobile phones entered the prisons and who provided them, when the videos were recorded, who shared them with electronic media,” he said in a statement.After the videos went viral, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he will seek a detailed report and initiate action against those responsible for the security lapse.The Parappana Agrahara Central Jail, which houses many high-risk inmates, has faced scrutiny before also. In October, a video went viral showing a notorious gangster, Srinivas, also known as Gubbachi Seena, celebrating his birthday behind bars.The celebration included a cake and garland, with Seena cutting the cake using a large knife. Inmates allegedly filmed the party using a mobile phone and later shared the footage online. Initial investigations reveal the celebration occurred four to five months ago.Story continues below this adIn addition to Umesh Reddy and Manna’s clips, another video showed Tarun Raju, a friend of the gold smuggling case accused Ranya Rao, using a mobile phone in footage recorded this year.In August last year, a photo surfaced showing Darshan smoking a cigarette with gangster J Nagaraj, also known as Wilson Garden Naga, while making a call inside the Central Prison in Bengaluru. While cancelling his bail this August, the Supreme Court urged the prison department to ensure that rules are not violated.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd