Bengaluru: Karnataka Prisons and Correctional Services DIG M Somashekar has been taken into police custody in connection with the alleged release of a life convict from Bengaluru Central Prison using a forged Supreme Court order in 2018.
Somashekar, who was serving as the Chief Superintendent of Bengaluru Central Prison when the incident occurred, was taken into custody on October 4 and produced before a court. He was subsequently remanded to police custody for questioning.
The case relates to the release of convict Shankar A from Bengaluru Central Prison in November 2018 on the basis of a purported Supreme Court order directing his release.
Shankar had been sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 10,000 by a Fast Track Court in 2004 in a kidnapping-for-ransom case. His appeals before the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court did not result in the sentence being overturned.
According to the police investigation, a forged copy of a Supreme Court order was allegedly prepared showing that the apex court had directed Shankar’s release on November 2, 2018. He was subsequently released from prison on November 13 that year.
Prison Official Allegedly Forged Order
Police have alleged that Srikanth S, who was working as a second division assistant in the convict prisoner section at the time, prepared the forged document. He is currently working as a first division assistant in the same section.
Investigators are also examining allegations that the then Chief Superintendent assisted in securing Shankar’s release.
Police questioned Shankar’s wife during the investigation, and she allegedly made statements implicating the prison official. The allegations are part of the ongoing investigation and have not been established in court.
DIG Taken Into Police Custody
The case was registered after the Superintendent-in-charge of Bengaluru Central Prison filed a complaint at Parappana Agrahara police station on May 20, 2026.
Police said the subsequent investigation indicated that Somashekar had allegedly not cooperated with investigators and had withheld information relating to the case.
He was therefore taken into custody on October 4 and remanded to police custody for further questioning.
The investigation is continuing to establish how the forged order was prepared, how it was processed within the prison system and the role of those allegedly involved in the convict’s release.
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