Months after the Supreme Court cautioned Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Jail for allegedly giving special treatment to film actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, a fresh set of disturbing videos surfaced on Saturday.

These new clips show high-security inmates, including one of India’s most notorious serial rapists and a terror recruitment accused, freely using smartphones and even watching television inside the jail. The videos, which quickly spread online, have raised serious questions about security lapses and the level of internal supervision within the prison.

At least six videos now circulating publicly show prisoners handling smartphones, watching TV, and moving around inside the jail without strict control. Among the inmates seen is Umesh Reddy, once known as India’s most notorious serial rapist. Reports now claim that he has been enjoying a surprisingly comfortable lifestyle inside the prison, with access to mobile phones and a television—a privilege that goes against every rule meant for a high-risk convict.

One of the most widely shared videos clearly 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 and talking on a smartphone. The visuals sparked outrage because Reddy, who terrorised women between 1996 and 2002, had been accused in numerous rape and murder cases and is serving a 30-year life term. During his trial years ago, Reddy even claimed he was mentally unstable to avoid the gallows, but a medical examination at NIMHANS proved otherwise when doctors confirmed that his brain was perfectly normal, exposing his false claim.

After a mercy petition, the Supreme Court in 2022 commuted his death sentence to 30 years of imprisonment without remission. He is currently lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru and is reportedly nearing the completion of his jail term. Despite being placed with other convicts in the regular cell block, recent viral videos now show Reddy using two Android smartphones and a keypad phone inside the jail. These findings have triggered deep concern about how such devices entered the prison and why no monitoring prevented their use.

Umesh Reddy’s early background reveals how he slipped into a double life. Born as BA Umesh in 1969, in Basappa Malige, a village in Chitradurga district, Karnataka, he was once selected for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and posted in Jammu and Kashmir. However, while on guard duty at the home of a commandant, he attempted to rape the commandant’s daughter. He immediately fled to Chitradurga district afterward. By 1996, he managed to join the District Armed Reserve (DAR) Police, whose officers were unaware of his previous misconduct. He had also faced a road rage charge earlier, but the local DAR inspector dismissed it as a “petty case.” After completing police training in Madhya Pradesh, he returned to Karnataka and soon began a series of crimes that terrorised several towns.

Another video from the jail shows Juhad Hameed Shakeel Manna, accused of recruiting youths for the terror group ISIS, using both a smartphone and a basic handset along with other inmates. Shakeel, who was earlier arrested for recruiting youngsters into the ISIS network, is said to be living a relaxed and privileged life inside the jail. This stands in clear contrast to the strict restrictions expected for high-risk inmates. Reports now claim that he has been using mobile phones freely and even communicating with contacts outside the prison.

Additional Inspector General of Prisons (AIGP) PV Anand Reddy said on Saturday that the videos were recorded in 2023 and 2025. In an official statement, he said, “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,” confirming that the investigation will look into both internal and external involvement.

After the videos gained public attention, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he would demand a detailed report and take action against those responsible for the serious security failure. The Parappana Agrahara Central Jail has faced similar scrutiny earlier as well. In October, another video went viral showing notorious gangster Srinivas, also known as Gubbachi Seena, celebrating his birthday behind bars. The clip showed him smiling, wearing a garland, and cutting a cake with a large knife, as inmates recorded the event on a mobile phone and later shared the footage online. Initial investigations revealed that the celebration had taken place four to five months earlier.

In addition to the videos of Reddy and Manna, another clip from this year shows Tarun Raju, a friend of gold-smuggling accused Ranya Rao, using a mobile phone. Another leaked video shows Tarun cooking food inside the jail, despite being lodged as a prisoner. Reports now suggest that Tarun might be receiving special privileges similar to VIP inmates, once again raising questions about corruption and failure of jail supervision.

In August last year, a controversial photo had appeared showing actor Darshan smoking a cigarette with gangster J Nagaraj, also known as Wilson Garden Naga, while making a phone call inside the same prison. When the Supreme Court cancelled Darshan’s bail this August, it urged the prison department to ensure strict compliance with rules. However, despite these warnings, the present revelations suggest that several inmates continue to enjoy comfort and unrestricted access to phones.

Interestingly, while prison authorities denied even basic facilities to Kannada actor Darshan, several other influential inmates appear to be leading privileged lives in jail. These revelations have caused widespread outrage and renewed concern about corruption and serious lapses in Karnataka’s central jail management.

Local residents near the prison have also complained that the strong network jammers installed around the jail have weakened their personal mobile signals, even as inmates inside seem to use their phones without interruption. Prison officials have yet to confirm the authenticity of all videos or the steps taken after the controversy.

Umesh Reddy Crimes

Reddy carefully chose his victims, usually targeting housewives between 11 am and 3 pm, a time when men were unlikely to be home. He often entered the victims’ homes by pretending to ask for water or an address. Once inside, he threatened the women with a knife, forced them to remove their clothes, tied them up, and raped them. He frequently choked his victims and raped them while they were unconscious. Afterward, he killed them and removed their jewellery to make the murder appear like a robbery. He then escaped with the victims’ undergarments. Whenever the police arrested him, Reddy was found wearing women’s lingerie under his clothes.

In November 1996, he attempted to rape a high-school girl in KEB Colony, Chitradurga, but she fought back with a stone and escaped. On 6 December 1996, he allegedly raped and murdered 16-year-old Roopa. A month later, he was arrested and dismissed from service when his first victim identified him by chance during a Republic Day police parade. Reddy and four others were later charged with Roopa’s murder and sent to judicial custody, although he was acquitted in this case in 2004 due to insufficient evidence.

A court ordered his transfer to Bellary jail, but in March 1997, he escaped while being handed over to prison authorities. He then murdered an income-tax officer’s wife in Bangalore, a girl in Ahmedabad, two girls in Baroda, and a widow in Kunigal. During this period, he would also steal lingerie hung out to dry in backyards.

On 7 July 1997, he was arrested in Peenya for stealing women’s undergarments. When the police raided his room, they recovered a gunny bag full of lingerie. He identified himself as “Ramesh” but escaped within 24 hours while being transferred for interrogation. The police initially tried to cover up his escape until his father filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court.

On 28 February 1998, Reddy raped and murdered 37-year-old widow Jayashree Maradi Subbaiah in Peenya. Police believe he repeatedly had sex with the dead body. When her 8-year-old son returned from school, Reddy told him that an evil spirit had entered his mother’s body and tied her to the window. He escaped shortly after.

He attempted to rape another woman but was caught when neighbours intervened. In 1999, he escaped police custody again near Hirekerur. On the night of 3–4 March 2002, he escaped once more while being transported in a KSRTC bus. Reddy claimed he gained the policemen’s trust by buying them rum and chicken.

Over the next two months, he raped three more girls in Davangere, Hubli-Dharwad, and Pune, and stole three mobile phones and two credit cards. He worked briefly as a hotel waiter in Pune before fleeing again.

On 17 May 2002, he arrived in Bangalore and was recognized by an auto-rickshaw driver in Yeshwanthpur. The driver alerted his brother and police, and Inspector Nagaraja Urs arrested him. When caught, Reddy was wearing a bra and panties. His luggage contained 18 pairs of panties, 10 bras, 8 churidars, 6 saris, 4 blouses, and 2 nighties.

Death Sentence and Appeals

Reddy was convicted in 9 cases and acquitted in 11 others. On 26 October 2006, Judge K Sukanya awarded him multiple sentences, including the death penalty, along with smaller sentences of 7 years and 10 years plus fines. Although Reddy begged for mercy, the judge did not relent.

In 2007, a Karnataka High Court bench confirmed his conviction but disagreed on the death sentence. A third judge upheld the death penalty in 2009. The Supreme Court also upheld it in 2011, calling his crimes “rarest of the rare.”

He filed a mercy petition, which the Karnataka government rejected in May 2012, and the President rejected in May 2013. He filed another petition, still pending before a constitution bench, until the Supreme Court finally commuted his death sentence to 30 years imprisonment on 4 November 2022.

Movies such as Umesh (2013) and Khatarnak Umesh Reddy (2013) are based on his life. Actor Adi Lokesh played his character in Dandupalya 2 and Dandupalya 3. Netflix released a three-episode documentary titled “Beast of Bangalore: Indian Predator” on 16 December 2022, featuring interviews with police officials, victims, and individuals who had assisted Reddy during some of his crimes.