18 shifted out of Bengaluru jail for driving crimes

BENGALURU: Eighteen inmates of Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara have been shifted to various central and districts jails, following suspicion that they were orchestrating heinous crimes from inside the Bengaluru prison.
The move came after police probe into the recent murder of history-sheeter Joseph Babli revealed that the prime conspirators in the case were in judicial custody of Central Prison. Babli was hacked to death inside a bank in front of his wife and minor daughter on July 19.
Koramanagala police have already arrested eight men outside the prison in connection with killing. According to police, three prison inmates masterminded the murder from behind the bars.
Following Babli’s murder, police commissioner Kamal Pant directed his men to keep an eye on the activities of rowdy elements and history-sheeters. As a result, cops zeroed in on 18 rowdy elements, who were guiding their associates outside on how to commit various crimes even as they were locked inside jail. They submitted a report to Pant, identifying these individuals and detailing how they were operating out of the prison. Following this, all 18 inmates were shifted to different district and central prisons across the state.
“Among those shifted are Naga alias Wilson Garden Naga and Shiva alias Shivakumar from Wilson Garden, both arch rivals of Babli and George Michel of Adugodi, Babli’s brother-in-law. Another history-sheeter Pradeep alias Chotte, who led the gang that hacked Babli to death, too has been shifted. Chotte was shot at and injured when cops tried to arrest him,” a police officer said.“Bombay Saleem is another rowdy-sheeter who has been moved out. Saleem, who was arrested in a murder case reported in Talaghattapura this year, was active in land mafia in south Bengaluru region,” a senior officer said.