The City Crime Branch (CCB) seized contraband, including weapons, from Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru after conducting a raid at the premises on Wednesday.
The raid was conducted at 5 am and nearly 60 police officers, including four ACPs and six inspectors, recovered weapons. Around 37 knives and daggers, drugs and chillums (pipes used for smoking intoxicants like cannabis), mobile phones and SIM cards were seized.
The officers carried out the raid under the supervision of the CCB Joint Commissioner Sandeep Patil. While it has not been ascertained why the sudden inspection was carried out, it is alleged that the CCB received several complaints of drug abuse and use of mobile phones in the prison.
Parappana Agrahara Central Prison is the largest prison in Karnataka, which houses several criminals and high profile politicians, including the former general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) VK Sasikala.
The prison houses over 4,000 prisoners in 810 barracks and is reported that the prison complex is overcrowded beyond its capacity and does not have enough to staff.
The prison is infamous for the illegal activities that take place inside it as most of the inmates here are suspected to be addicted to drugs, mainly cannabis. Recently, a woman was caught after she tried to sneak drugs into the prison for her husband by hiding it in the lunch box.
