BANGALORE: A 45-year-old Central Armed Reserve (CAR) constable was arrested for allegedly supplying three mobile phones to Abdul Karim Telgi, who is in jail for his role in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam.
The accused, Yenkanna Meti, was one of the two CAR constables assigned to guard Telgi round the clock after the stamp paper scam kingpin alleged that he was facing a threat to his life in prison. Meti is an ex-serviceman.
Though there were reports that Meti was also carrying 10 ganja packets, additional commissioner of police (law and order) Kamal Pant said he was unaware of it. “We haven’t heard anything about the ganja packets. Three mobile phones have been recovered from the accused and we have booked him under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 511 (willfully committing offence). Prison officials told us that Meti confessed to taking the mobile phones to Telgi,” Pant said.
DIG (prisons) VS Raja said: “Jail officials at Gate No. 3 caught Meti while he was carrying three brand new mobile phones in his pocket. He said he was taking them inside. But we don’t know to whom they were being supplied to.”
According to prison officials, Meti was detained around 7am at the main gate. “He was carrying three phones and failed to give satisfactory answers. We then detained him and senior jail officials questioned him later. Meti confessed that the phones were meant for Telgi,” prison officials said.
Security escalated
The Parappana Agrahara Central Prison is in the news for violations at regular intervals. Earlier, it was visitors who smuggled in material like mobile phones for inmates. Prison sources said the phones were smuggled in by stuffing them inside food.
After last month’s jailbreak, when serial rapist-killer M Shankar alias Jaishankar fled from prison and was caught, officials have stepped up security, prohibiting food from outside.
