Contraband concealed in bananas exposes elaborate smuggling into jail

Shivamogga: Shivamogga Central Jail has become the latest hotspot for inmate luxuries, mirroring the uproar from Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara, where prisoners enjoyed high-tech perks. Revelations show narcotics entering through clever disguises like fruit shipments and employee attire, raising alarms about oversight failures.

Security personnel grew suspicious when an auto-rickshaw dropped off five banana clusters at the facility’s entrance around 2:15 PM on November 19. The driver insisted the items were requested for the prison canteen before departing.

Officers inspected the produce and discovered concealed packets. Stems had been hollowed out, wrapped with tape containing 123 grams of marijuana alongside 40 cigarettes. Compounding the breach, a jail employee triggered alerts during routine screening upon arrival. Authorities found 170 grams of drugs tucked into his undergarments, directly implicating internal involvement and casting doubt on the entire setup. Officials promptly reported both the banana consignment and the staff smuggling attempt to Tunganagar police station, initiating formal probes into these illicit pathways.