Zuhab Shakeel Manna

Zuhab Hameed Shakeel Manna (also known as Zuhaib Manna or Zohib Manna) is an Indian national accused by law enforcement of acting as a key recruiter and financier for the [...] organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Bengaluru, India. He was arrested by India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) in late 2021 after being deported from Saudi Arabia,

Background and Allegations

Manna resided in the Jayanagar area of Bengaluru before moving to Saudi Arabia. According to investigations by the NIA, Manna was one of the central figures in a radicalization ring known as the "Quran Circle."

Authorities allege that Manna and his co-accused utilized the group to radicalize local youths through discussions and doctored videos depicting atrocities against Muslims in Syria. Manna was specifically accused of:

• Conspiring to motivate and recruit gullible Muslim youths to join ISIS.
• Raising and receiving funds to facilitate the illegal travel of these recruits to conflict zones in Syria via Turkey.
• Maintaining direct affiliations with banned global [...] organizations.

In October 2020, Manna was detained in Saudi Arabia at the request of Indian law enforcement. After spending over a year in custody abroad, his family was evacuated, and he was officially deported to India on November 14, 2021. Upon landing in Kochi, he was immediately taken into NIA custody and transferred to Bengaluru. In April 2022, the High Court of Karnataka dismissed his plea for default bail and extended his judicial custody while the NIA continued its extensive investigation.

2026 Parappana Agrahara Prison Scandal

While awaiting trial, Manna was housed in Bengaluru's high-security Parappana Agrahara Central Jail. In 2026, a major administrative and political scandal erupted in Karnataka when video footage from inside the prison was leaked to the media. The widely broadcast videos showed Manna and several other notorious inmates openly violating strict prison regulations. In the footage, Manna was seen enjoying preferential treatment—openly scrolling on a smartphone, drinking tea, and watching television inside his cell.

The revelation of this unauthorized access to contraband and luxury perks sparked intense public outrage over corruption and security lapses within the state's prison system. The backlash prompted the Karnataka State Government, including the Home Minister and Chief Minister, to condemn the lapses and order a high-level internal inquiry to investigate the breaches and penalize the complicit prison officials.