Hyderabad: Video showing inmate with visitors at Chanchalguda jail goes viral

Hyderabad: A video of a group of friends visiting a remand prisoner during the ‘mulakhat (meeting)’ time at Chanchalguda jail is going viral on social media, catching the attention of higher authorities of the prison.

Except on Sundays, scores of family members and friends visit Chanchalguda jail every day to meet the prisoners and undertrials.

According to details, Ahmad Jabri, a resident of the Old City area, was arrested on April 11, 2025 in a robbery case. Subsequently, he was sent to Chanchalguda jail on remand. The next day, Jabri’s friends visited him for ‘mulakhat’ and recorded Instagram reels with him inside the jail premises. The videos were later uploaded to Instagram as reels.

When one of the reels went viral on social media, the jail officials swung into action. During a preliminary probe, the officials identified and took into custody the person who shot the video and handed him over to the Chandrayangutta Police for further investigation.

The incident has sparked criticism from netizens, who are questioning the lack of surveillance inside the jail premises. Some users commented that the criminals seem to be enjoying themselves even behind bars.

In a related incident in July 2024, the Bandlaguda police arrested three persons for recording an Instagram reel inside a police station. The accused trio came to meet their friend Dastagir who was arrested for kidnapping a girl and lodged in Bandlaguda police station. They were placed in the same cell as their friend, whom they had come to meet.