Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Convict, Prison Staffer Held Eight Years After Fake Release
A man serving a life sentence allegedly left prison eight years ago using a fake court document.
The document was made to look like an order from the Supreme Court.
Police recently arrested the man and a prison staff member.
They are investigating whether both played roles in the alleged scheme.
The prison discovered the document was fake in May.
The man had been jailed for a kidnapping-for-ransom case from 2001.
He had already lost appeals in the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court.
The case includes allegations of forgery and cheating.
Police arrested Shankar A Aradhya and a prison staff member over an alleged forged release order.
Aradhya allegedly left Bengaluru Central Prison eight years ago using a fake Supreme Court order.
The case surfaced in May after the prison superintendent discovered the order was forged.
Aradhya was serving a life sentence for a 2001 kidnapping-for-ransom case.
His life sentence had been upheld by both the Karnataka High Court and Supreme Court.
- Who
- Police arrested convict Shankar A Aradhya and a Bengaluru Central Prison staff member.
- What
- They were arrested over alleged roles in Aradhya’s release using a forged Supreme Court order.
- When
- The release occurred eight years before the recent arrests; the case came to light in May this year.
- Where
- Bengaluru Central Prison and the Parappana Agrahara police jurisdiction.
- Why
- Police allege the release order was forged, leading to a case involving forgery, cheating and other offences.
- Convict
- Shankar A Aradhya
- Original case
- A 2001 kidnapping-for-ransom case registered by Chickpet police
- Sentence
- Life imprisonment and a Rs 10,000 fine
- Conviction date
- July 12, 2004
- Alleged document
- A forged Supreme Court release order
- Case discovery
- The prison superintendent’s complaint followed discovery that the order was fake
- Police station
- Parappana Agrahara police