A case of prison fraud has been revealed in Karnataka where a life convict, Shankar Armugam, managed to secure his release from Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison nearly eight years ago using forged documents claiming to be from the Supreme Court. Shankar had been serving a life sentence for a 2001 kidnapping-for-ransom case and was released in 2018 after presenting these fake documents and paying a fine mentioned in the false court order. The incident has raised concerns within the Prison Department, leading to an investigation into possible collusion, negligence, and procedural lapses that allowed the convict’s release.
Authorities discovered the fraud after receiving a complaint alleging that Shankar had fraudulently obtained his release by submitting counterfeit Supreme Court orders. An internal inquiry was initiated, and officials contacted the Supreme Court’s office in New Delhi to verify the documents. It was found that the order submitted by Shankar was forged and had no official connection with the apex court. Shankar Armugam had been convicted for kidnapping for ransom and criminal conspiracy, with both sentences running concurrently.
The case has highlighted the issue of how forged judicial documents managed to pass through official prison procedures undetected and whether any insiders facilitated or ignored the fraud. In response to the findings, an FIR has been registered under relevant sections related to forgery, fabrication, use of fake documents, and cheating. Efforts are underway to trace and re-arrest the convict while investigating potential accomplices involved in preparing the forged records and facilitating the illegal release. The investigation into the case is ongoing, with authorities working to address the lapses that allowed the fraudulent release to occur.
