Mangaluru, 5 April

Hundreds of people, led by BJP legislator D Vedavyas Kamat, protested outside Mangaluru Central Prison on Saturday, demanding action over the installation of a 4G jammer that disrupted mobile network access in the surrounding area.

Kamat claimed that mobile phone users within a 1km radius of the prison were facing connectivity issues, as the jammer was not confined to the prison's interior, despite prior requests to the State Prison Department to limit its reach. The protesters attempted to siege the jail before being taken into custody by the police, who later released them.

The issue stems from a high-profile incident last year when a prisoner from Mangaluru, currently housed in Belagavi prison, allegedly made a threatening call to Union Minister for Highways, Nitin Gadkari. The inmate demanded ₹100 crore from Gadkari, threatening to kill him if the money was not paid. The incident sparked national attention, prompting the Karnataka prison department to upgrade the Belagavi jail's jammer capacity from 2G to 4G in January 2025.

In response, the Prison Department has now agreed to restrict the jammer's signal to the interior of the prison, resolving the issue for local mobile users.