Over a month after senior IPS officer D Roopa alleged "special" treatment by Bengaluru prison authorities to V K Sasikala, a video has emerged that shows AIADMK (Amma) chief walking into the jail in civilian clothes. The undated prison surveillance video, submitted by Roopa to the state anti-corruption bureau (ACB), raises suspicion whether Sasikala went out of the prison in connivance with top prison officials.
The footage shows Sasikala, along with her niece Ilavarasi, entering the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru in civilian clothes. Both have been convicted by the Supreme Court in the disproportionate assets case and are serving a four-year sentence in the Bengaluru jail.
The CCTV footage shows Sasikala and Ilavarasi entering the prison from the main gate in the presence of male guards. Both women are carrying a bag each and are seen being escorted into the campus by the Superintendent of the Women’s Prison.
Earlier in July, the then DIG (Prisons) D Roopa, submitted a report to DGP (Prisons) H N Sathyanarayana Rao saying there was "a talk" that Rs two crore had exchanged hands to give preferential treatment for Sasikala and there were allegations against him also.
Both were later transferred by the Karnataka government along with Bengaluru central jail Chief Superintendent Krishna Kumar.
After being summoned by the ACB, Roopa submitted 74 enclosures as evidence to substantiate her charge, The Hindu reported. According to the newspaper, she received summons from the ACB on July 31, 2017, and appeared before the investigating officers a couple of days later and received a questionnaire. On Saturday she submitted her answers in writing along with photographs and video footage.
The surveillance video is part of the evidence submitted by the whistleblower IPS officer.
Roopa confirmed to the daily that she gave the evidence to the ACB on Saturday.
