NIA probe uncovers mobile smuggling network in Bengaluru prison

An ongoing investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into prison radicalisation has exposed a network facilitating the illegal supply of mobile phones inside Bengaluru Central Prison. At the centre of the racket is prison psychiatrist Dr. S Nagaraj, who was arrested on July 8 for allegedly smuggling phones to convicted prisoners, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)-linked terror convict Thadiyantavide Naseer.

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According to the NIA, Dr. Nagaraj purchased phones from a local store under the alias "Raghu" for Rs 8,000–10,000 and sold them to inmates for Rs 25,000 through intermediaries. The agency found that the psychiatrist lived extravagantly and allegedly received assistance from a close associate in smuggling the devices.

Naseer, convicted in a Kerala terror case and facing trial for the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts, is the prime accused in a prison radicalisation case where eight undertrial youths were reportedly indoctrinated between 2017 and 2023. Seven of them, along with Naseer, have filed pleas to plead guilty in court.

The NIA recently obtained court permission to question additional inmates who reportedly acquired phones through this network. On July 8, three others — a Central Armed Reserve policeman, a woman linked to another accused, and Dr. Nagaraj — were arrested for aiding Naseer’s activities behind bars.

The agency is probing the financial sources behind these illicit transactions and the potential use of digital devices in planning terror operations from within the high-security facility.