Bengaluru, December 4
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has intensified its probe into the deadly car blast near Delhi's Red Fort, returning to Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Prison for a fresh inspection after preliminary findings indicated that a suspected terrorist lodged there may have used an illegal mobile phone in the run-up to the attack.
The agency's second visit to the high-security facility comes amid mounting concerns over a viral video that recently showed terror accused Juhad Hamid Shakeel Manna and several rowdy sheeters freely using mobile phones and availing prohibited amenities inside the prison, raising serious questions about security lapses and internal complicity. Thirteen people were killed, and more than 30 were injured in the Red Fort blast, which took place in a highly protected zone, leading to nationwide alerts and multi-state raids by the NIA.
According to sources, the NIA team conducted a detailed inspection inside the prison on Tuesday and interrogated Manna, a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operative. Officials are reported to have retrieved documents and digital trails that shed light on the communications he made while using an illegally accessed mobile phone inside the jail. Investigators are also examining call records, communication logs and the identity of possible handlers who may have been in contact with him.
The agency questioned Manna specifically on whether he had any direct or indirect link to the Delhi blast, including possible coordination or facilitation from within the prison. The renewed visit indicates that evidence recovered during earlier searches had raised sufficient concerns for a deeper probe. The controversy first broke out after a video surfaced showing Manna casually holding a mobile phone inside Parappana Agrahara. Visuals of other inmates accessing amenities prohibited for prisoners further intensified criticism of the jail administration.
Former senior police officer S.K. Umesh, who served in Bengaluru for 35 years, said irregularities in jails were not new, but allowing terror suspects access to mobile phones amounted to a serious security lapse. He said such VIP-like facilities inside prison created insecurity among the public and could have dangerous national security implications. There have also been allegations that information about earlier raids inside the barracks had been leaked in advance, enabling inmates to hide or destroy evidence.
Jail authorities have denied any such breach, but the NIA is reportedly probing the possibility of internal support or corruption among prison staff. Manna has been under the scanner of national agencies not only for his alleged terror links but also for reportedly attempting to influence and recruit youths for ISIS, intensifying the gravity of the situation.
The NIA has been conducting searches across multiple states following the Delhi blast, seizing digital devices, documents and materials suspected to be connected to the planning and execution of the attack.
