Belagavi: Belagavi Rural police have registered a case against five people, including a murder-accused inmate lodged at Hindalga Central Prison, for allegedly threatening and attempting to extort money from a Bengaluru-based contractor.
For more details : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/extortion-threats-allegedly-made-from-hindalga-jail-murder-accused-inmate-booked/articleshow/133547617.cms
The case was transferred to Belagavi Rural police from Banashankari police in Bengaluru after investigators reportedly found that some of the alleged threat calls originated from Hindalga jail.
According to the complaint filed by Imran Fazlur Rehman Anjum (36) of Padmanabhanagar, Bengaluru, he has been involved in commercial waste collection and disposal work in the area for the past two years.
Imran allegedly received a phone call on June 2 from a person identifying himself as Walter. The caller reportedly demanded ₹30,000 per month, allegedly to be paid through a person named Prajwal, and threatened him with serious consequences if he failed to comply.
The complainant further alleged that he subsequently received calls from Prajwal and Jayant, who pressured him to pay the money and give up a waste-management contract.
Imran was allegedly later summoned to an office near Banashankari, where he was asked to hand over the contract to Jayant, who was reportedly described as being related to Walter. When he refused, the accused allegedly issued further threats.
Walter has also been accused of verbally abusing Imran over the phone and threatening to kill him, assault his family members and cause physical harm if he did not comply with the demands.
Fearing for his safety, Imran approached Banashankari police. During the investigation, the alleged threat calls were reportedly traced to Hindalga Central Prison, following which the case was transferred to Belagavi Rural police.
Police have registered the case against Grace Walter Joseph, Prajwal, Harish, Jayant and another unidentified person. Further investigation is underway.
Hindalga Jail Security Under Scrutiny
The incident has once again brought the security arrangements at Hindalga Central Prison under scrutiny.
In 2023, notorious criminal Jayesh Pujari, who was lodged at Hindalga jail, allegedly made a ransom call from the prison to the office of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The subsequent investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) led to his arrest and also uncovered alleged links with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit.
The latest allegations of extortion calls originating from inside the prison are likely to raise fresh questions over the monitoring of inmates, mobile-phone use and security measures at the facility.
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