‘Accused in Hyder Ali murder shot 2 prison videos, allegedly sold to media’

Each video was allegedly sold to a media house for a price between ₹5 lakh and ₹6 lakh

Bengaluru

One of the accused in the Hyder Ali murder case shot prison videos and allegedly sold them to a media house, a source in the prison department exclusively revealed to blrpost.com.

The videos of alleged ISIS recruiter Zuhaib Hameed Shakeel Manna and gold smuggling accused Tarun Raju surfaced in the media a few days ago. These videos were shot by one of the accused in the Hyder Ali murder case, currently lodged in Bengaluru Central Prison. In another instance, a video of serial rape convict Umesh Reddy was allegedly shot by a prison inmate identified as Pavan.

Another video showing prison inmates dancing and partying also surfaced in the media.

On Monday, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said that the government has suspended Superintendent of Prisons, Parappana Agrahara, Mageri, and Assistant Superintendent Ashok Bhajantri. Chief Superintendent of Prisons Suresh has been transferred.

Meanwhile, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) questioned Kannada actor Dhanveer over the leaked video and seized his mobile phone. Dhanveer is a close friend of Kannada movie star Darshan, who is accused in the Renukaswamy murder case. Darshan is currently kept in a quarantine cell in Parappana Agrahara.

Shot by accused

Sources in the prison department said Shakeel Manna’s video was shot on his own mobile phone by an accused in the Hyder Ali case. The use of mobile phones inside prison has become rampant.

The accused, who also filmed gold smuggling accused Raju, allegedly sold the videos to a media house for ₹5–6 lakh each, the source said. Selling such videos to the media has become common, as television networks are often willing to pay for sensational material, the source added.

The accused in the Hyder Ali murder case are identified as Nayyaz Pasha alias Naju, who faces eight cases in Ashoknagar police station; Darshan, Raheed, and Waseem, all residents of Bengaluru; and Rizwan, a rowdy-sheeter from Shivamogga, along with Mateen and Saddam, also from Shivamogga. He was murdered in February this year.

The source however did not reveal the name of the accused who shot the video but maintained that this gang is behind the videos. 

Umesh Reddy’s video

A CCB source said investigators suspect that inmate Pavan filmed Umesh Reddy’s video. Reddy, a convicted serial rapist and murderer, is serving a 30-year prison sentence in Bengaluru Central Prison.

He was accused of 18 murders and 20 rapes across Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, and was eventually convicted in nine cases. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment with a minimum of 30 years by the Supreme Court in 2022.

The CCB source added that Dhanveer was summoned for questioning as investigators suspect Pavan shot the videos at the behest of the actor, allegedly to exact revenge on prison officials who had denied basic facilities to actor Darshan. It may be recalled that Darshan was denied basic amenities for over a month and was later granted a bed and home food following court orders.