When psychiatrist turned cellphone supplier for terrorists at B’luru jail | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: The arrest of a psychiatrist and two others by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has exposed a disturbing underbelly of the Bengaluru Central Prison: An illegal mobile phone racket allegedly fuelling terror and crime from within the jail.Preliminary investigation revealed that Dr Nagaraj, the prison’s psychiatrist, had earned nearly Rs 1 crore by selling and renting mobile phones to hardened criminals, who used the devices to orchestrate extortions, abductions, murders, and even plan terror strikes — all from behind bars. Dr Nagaraj had come under the NIA scanner after he smuggled in mobile phones and supplied them to Tadiyandavide Naseer alias T Naseer, a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative serving a life sentence in the jail. Naseer and his associates used the phone to intensify the radicalisation-related agenda of the banned terror outfit.“Attempts to smuggle mobile phones into the prison is quite common, but the success rate is high when an insider is involved. In this, the psychiatrist had turned it into a booming underground business,” a senior IPS officer said. Android phones worth around Rs 10,000 were sold at inflated prices, some even crossing Rs 30,000. Those unable to buy outright could ‘rent’ the phone by paying Rs 500 each for the phone and the sim card. Sources said they suspect Nagaraj to have sold over 100 phones to inmates, helping them run their illegal operations.The money trail by NIA sleuths led them to Pallavi alias Pavithra, a nurse at a private hospital and known associate of Dr Nagaraj. More than Rs 70 lakh in transactions were traced to her bank account alone. When questioned, she claimed the money belonged to Dr Nagaraj. The psychiatrist’s wife, a govt employee in Chintamani, was reportedly unaware of his dealings, though he visited her every Sunday.Alarming security lapsesSources said Dr Nagaraj misused the security lapses which enabled the operation. “Since he was a doctor, Nagaraj was not frisked regularly at the prison gates,” a senior official said. This leniency allowed phones to be smuggled in despite jammers being in place. Meanwhile, police teams are searching for Satish Gowda, a private telecom firm employee from Kolar suspected of supplying the sim cards.The other two arrested by NIA along with Dr Nagaraj were Chand Pasha, assistant sub-inspector of police (City Armed Reserve) and Anees Fathima, the mother of radicalization case accused who is absconding.On Wednesday, NIA produced the three accused in a special court. Special public prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar sought 10 days of police custody. However, the court granted six days and handed the three to NIA custody.While arguing, Kumar told the court: “The same mobile phones, supplied by Nagaraj, were used by Naseer and others for Lashkar-E-Taiba terror activities. The second accused, Chand Pasha, provided police security to Naseer and others in the prison and helped them spread the terror activities.”Stating that Pasha received illegal gratification for the same, Kumar said: “The accused, Anees Fathima, a resident of Bhuvaneshwarinagar in RT Nagar, is the mother of absconding accused Junaid Ahmed. She is involved in facilitating money transactions with other accused persons.”Malini Krishnamurthy, DGP, prisons and correctional facilities, confirmed that Nagaraj was linked to a 2023 case involving terror activities inside the prison, which was later handed over to the NIA. “This arrest is a result of sustained investigation. We’ve now upgraded mobile jammers and are ensuring tighter checks,” she said. BoxWoman counsellor’s earlier attemptThis is an isolated incident of security protocol breach. Last month, Bengaluru police arrested a 33-year-old woman counsellor working at the Central Prison for allegedly attempting to smuggle a mobile phone into the premises. Another individual was also arrested for handing over the phone, which was intended for an undertrial lodged in the jail. The accused, a contract-based psychologist assigned to the prison’s hospital wing, was intercepted during a routine security check by personnel from the Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KSISF). A metal detector flagged the presence of a concealed object. Investigation revealed that she had reportedly hidden the phone in her private parts.