Outside visitors banned, ganja sent to Bengaluru prisoners by post

Two packages containing 160 grams of ganja were delivered by post to the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara here last week. Officials screened the packages before they could be sent to their intended recipients — two undertrial prisoners. The sender’s identity has, however, remained a mystery.

The packages were delivered at the main gate of the prison by a postman around 12.35 pm on December 25. They were addressed to Kariyappa (undertrial prisoner number 6780/2021) and Abhishek (8500/2020). In line with the standard operating procedure, prison officials opened the packages to screen for the presence of anything illegal. What they found took them aback: The package addressed to Kariyappa contained 10 grams of ganja while that meant for Abhishek had 150 grams of the same illicit drug. Both were dispatched by a single sender but the address is untraceable.

Officials immediately questioned both the prisoners but couldn’t elicit a “satisfactory” answer as to who had sent the drugs. The prison’s chief superintendent, R Latha, subsequently filed a complaint at the Parappana Agrahara police station.

Police sent a team to the post office through which the packages were dispatched but didn’t get any clues about the sender because the place doesn’t have any CCTV cameras.

Police have now approached the court for permission to question Kariyappa and Abhishek in custody. “Once we get the permission, we will question them and take further necessary action,” a senior police officer said.

The pair has been booked under the stringent Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Prison authorities had intercepted ganja packages addressed to inmates last year, too. Sources in the know said prisoners usually received banned items such as illicit drugs, mobile phones and weapons from visitors but the pandemic halted this as the authorities banned outsiders from entering the prison premises or meeting the inmates. So prohibited items, including drugs, are now being sent by post.

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