Senior officers in the city police team investigating the alleged leak of a series of purported videos showing high-profile inmates at the Bengaluru Central Jail at Parappana Agrahara have formally written to US-based tech giant Meta, seeking details of the WhatsApp accounts through which the clips were allegedly spread all over the internet, police said on Wednesday.
Police said that they have sent the company the footage in question and requested information on the devices used to record and circulate the material. “We have sought details of the mobile device used to record these videos, the phone numbers from which they were forwarded and the accounts that received them,” an officer familiar with the communication said.
Investigators added that Meta is capable of providing IP addresses and mobile numbers linked to the chain of circulation and that they are awaiting a response.
Initial findings suggest the footage was captured at different times. One video, showing inmates purportedly having a party inside jail premises, is believed to have been shot in 2023, said investigators. A separate clip, which shows liquor bottles placed on top of an English newspaper dated November 6, 2025, is considered recent.
“The videos are clearly from two different periods. That has complicated the inquiry,” another officer involved in the case said.
{{/usCountry}}“The videos are clearly from two different periods. That has complicated the inquiry,” another officer involved in the case said.
{{/usCountry}}Police have also questioned a prisoner believed to have allegedly recorded the earlier video. The inmate reportedly told investigators that the mobile phone purportedly used to record the clip was seized during raids in 2023 and claimed he did not know how the footage resurfaced, said police.
The inquiry has also extended outside the prison.
Actor Dhanveer was interrogated twice, said police, adding that he did not cooperate during questioning. When his mobile data was retrieved, investigators found evidence that the videos were received on his phone. He told officers he had obtained the clips from a lawyer and had forwarded them to Vijayalakshmi, wife of jailed actor Darshan, but denied playing any role in making the videos viral, said police.
Following these statements, senior officers are examining whether Vijayalakshmi should be summoned to explain her role in the chain of transmission, an officer in the know said
The videos show several high-profile inmates, including serial rapist and murderer Umesh Reddy, who is shown purportedly using two Android phones and a keypad device.
Officers said some clips appear to show suspects in both foreign and domestic terrorism , including an alleged ISIS member, using phones in the facility. “If confirmed, this raises serious security concerns,” a senior officer said.