Kareem Lala surfs TV, eats kababs in jail

bangalore: name: abdul kareem telegi alias kareem lala. crime: prime accused in the stamp paper racket running into crores of rupees. housed in: jail hospital. and the treatment that he gets: undeniably that of a vip. like 2,000 others lodged in the central jail, kareem lala too is an undertrial. unlike the 2,000 others, he is being treated differently -- very differently.ever since he was diagnosed ``ill'', he has been lodged in the jail hospital. thanks to his lavish lifestyle, his has been a familiar face to the fellow prisoners. the contrast between kareem lala and the rest begins right from the word go: unlike others who have to be willy-nilly content with beds, he has a fine mattress with clean sheets. unlike others who sleep on the floor, he has a cot. sources in the jail said a television set had been provided to kareem lala as he felt the place was ``boring''. a couch potato, a chronic channel-surfer and an indulgent watcher of soaps. kareem lala's large-heartedness has earned him friends among fellow prisoners. during ramzan, he volunteered to buy biryani for them. since the ramzan food was coming from outside, he gifted the jail staff with wrist watches: rado (genuine) for a senior officer and titan for the rest. the sources said: ``kareem lala is fit, walks regularly. he does not mix much with others. he keeps to himself most of the time.'' other prisoners keep distance from kareem lala and get to see him occasionally when he stirs out for a bit of sunshine and fresh air. most of the time he uses a cellular phone from within the jail premises, though the sources were not willing to confirm if he had a second cellular phone. at the appointed hour, a white maruti esteem pulls up in front of the jail to fetch him mouth-watering food from outside. it includes biryani, kebabs and other goodies. this foodie is known to savour chicken. some days, the food-cart arrives more than twice. and his room is filled with fruits. the ordinary mortals have ragi mudde and watery sambar that pass off as staple food. kareem lala has been seen in the room of the jail superintendent talking to his many visitors who often come for charity. he recently made lavish donations to get some structures constructed in the central jail. no wonder the jail authorities are ever-so-grateful to this ``sugar daddy''.