Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna is facing fresh scrutiny after a mobile phone was recovered from his barrack at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison during a Central Crime Branch raid. Investigators have reportedly found around 80 to 90 adult videos on the device, adding another layer to a case that has already drawn national attention because of allegations of rape, sexual abuse and the circulation of explicit material.
The phone was recovered during a large-scale search operation at the prison on August 11, 2026. According to reports, the device contained several applications, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The phone has since been sent for forensic examination, while authorities investigate how a prohibited device entered a high-security prison.
The discovery has also triggered questions about prison security and possible lapses by officials responsible for monitoring inmates. A prison official has reportedly been suspended following the recovery of the device, while further action is being considered against those responsible for security at the facility.
Mobile Phone Recovered During CCB Raid
The CCB search involved a large team of officers and covered different parts of the Bengaluru prison. More than 10 mobile phones were reportedly recovered during the operation, with one device found in the barrack where Prajwal Revanna was lodged.
The phone was reportedly a Redmi 5G smartphone. Investigators also recovered a charger and a pen drive from the cell shared by Revanna and another inmate, Prathap Rai. According to reports, both inmates were questioned about the device and its use.
Authorities are now examining the phone and other seized material to establish who used the device, how it reached the prison and whether any activity conducted through it violated prison rules or other laws.
Reports about around 90 adult videos found on the phone have attracted particular attention. However, the contents of the device are still subject to forensic examination, and the precise origin, date and nature of the videos will need to be established by investigators.
What the Investigation Is Looking Into
The forensic examination is expected to play an important role in determining the history of the seized phone. Investigators are reportedly examining videos, photographs, applications and other digital data stored on the device.
The presence of social media and streaming applications on a prohibited phone has also raised questions about the level of access available to inmates inside the prison. Reports said the applications were password-protected, and the inmates questioned by officials did not disclose the passwords.
The immediate legal issue concerns possession and use of a prohibited electronic device inside the prison. A fresh case has reportedly been registered under provisions dealing with prison contraband. The investigation will determine the specific role of each accused person and whether further offences are made out.
Prajwal Revanna Is Already Serving a Life Sentence
The latest development comes more than a year after Prajwal Revanna was arrested following the emergence of explicit material that triggered a major political and criminal controversy in Karnataka.
Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and son of JD(S) MLA H D Revanna, was convicted in one of the rape cases registered against him. A special court in Bengaluru sentenced him to life imprisonment on August 2, 2025.
The case involved a domestic worker who was employed at the family’s farmhouse in Hassan district. The court found Revanna guilty in one of four sexual assault and rape cases registered against him. The court also imposed a financial penalty and directed that compensation be paid to the survivor.
The conviction marked a dramatic fall for a politician who had entered Parliament at a relatively young age. Revanna had represented Hassan in the Lok Sabha after winning the seat in the 2019 general election.
The 2024 Sex Scandal That Changed His Political Career
The broader controversy surrounding Prajwal Revanna came to national attention in 2024 after explicit videos allegedly involving women surfaced in Karnataka.
The allegations included claims that women were sexually assaulted and that some acts were recorded. The issue became a major political controversy during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, when Revanna was again contesting from Hassan.
Revanna left India after the allegations became public and was later arrested following his return from Germany in May 2024. His arrest brought the investigation into the allegations into a new phase.
Investigators subsequently pursued several cases involving allegations of rape, sexual assault and related offences. The case that resulted in his life sentence was the first major judicial outcome in the series.
Earlier Allegations Involved a Domestic Worker
One of the cases involved a woman who had worked as a domestic worker at the Revanna family’s property. According to the prosecution case, the alleged incidents took place in 2021.
The woman alleged that she was sexually assaulted and that the acts were recorded. The recordings later became an important part of the investigation and prosecution.
The court eventually convicted Revanna in this case. The verdict and subsequent life sentence established a significant legal consequence for the former MP, although other cases against him remain separate proceedings and must be decided independently.
It is important to distinguish the conviction from the fresh prison-phone investigation. The latest case concerns the alleged possession of a prohibited mobile phone inside prison and material reportedly found on it. The forensic findings and subsequent investigation will determine what legal significance, if any, the digital material has.
Prison Security Comes Under the Spotlight
The recovery of a smartphone from a high-security prison has also shifted attention toward the functioning of the prison administration.
A mobile phone can provide inmates with access to communication, social media and online services that are normally restricted inside correctional facilities. In this case, the reported presence of multiple internet-based applications has raised additional questions about how the device entered the prison and how long it may have remained there.
Reports have said that a prison official was suspended after the recovery. Authorities are also examining CCTV footage and other evidence as part of the investigation into the security breach.
The incident has broader implications because it is not limited to one inmate. Several mobile phones were reportedly recovered during the wider CCB operation, suggesting that investigators are examining possible systemic weaknesses rather than treating the matter as an isolated incident.
What Happens Next in the Prajwal Revanna Case
The immediate focus will remain on the forensic examination of the seized phone and the investigation into its possession.
Investigators will need to establish who owned and operated the device, when it entered the prison, what communications took place through it and whether any material on it is connected to an offence. The reported adult videos will also need to be authenticated and examined in accordance with law before conclusions are drawn about their significance.
For Prajwal Revanna, the development comes while he is already serving a life sentence following his 2025 conviction. The new prison case is therefore separate from the rape conviction that led to his imprisonment.
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The episode has once again placed the former MP at the centre of public attention, but the latest allegations must now go through the investigative and legal process. As the forensic examination continues, the findings will determine whether the material recovered from the phone leads to additional criminal proceedings or further action against those involved in the prison security breach.