Bengaluru: The mobile phone allegedly used in the sting operation targeting former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was purchased in New Delhi and changed hands at the official residence of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy there, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said on Sunday.
The handover took place on the instructions of one Prajwal Prasad, who was present at the Union Minister’s residence, he said, citing the statement of arrested accused Ritesh Pandey.
Pandey, a Delhi-based man was arrested on October 24 in connection with uploading the video of an alleged sting operation on social media, marking the first arrest in the case. He was apprehended by Bengaluru Police’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Delhi and was brought to the city for questioning.
According to the police chief, Pandey, along with Vinod Sharma, purchased the mobile phone from a shop in Delhi’s Karol Bagh area and subsequently handed it over to Prasad at Kumaraswamy’s official residence.
“On the instructions of Prajwal Prasad, Vinod Sharma and Ritesh Pandey purchased a mobile phone from a shop in Karol Bagh. They later handed the phone over to Prajwal Prasad at Kumaraswamy’s official residence in Delhi,” he told reporters.
Two videos containing serious allegations against Siddaramaiah were uploaded on YouTube reportedly in September. The Congress leader subsequently moved the court and obtained an injunction barring the press from reporting on the videos. He has also lodged a police complaint seeking an investigation.
The case has been registered at the CCB Police Station, and several police teams are investigating different aspects of the alleged sting operation.
The police have also issued notices to Sharma and Prasad based on the findings so far. However, both are absconding and have approached the court seeking anticipatory bail, the Commissioner said.
“We have issued notices to Vinod Sharma and Prajwal Prasad, but they are absconding. They have also filed applications seeking anticipatory bail,” he said.
The police have noticed certain financial transactions between Pandey and Prasad, which are being verified.
“Some financial transactions between Prajwal Prasad and Ritesh Pandey have come to our notice. They are being verified,” the Commissioner said, adding that police have technical evidence in terms of CCTV and other technical details.
He added that all three individuals were associated with social media content creation and investigators were examining their connections, roles and the duration of their association.
Asked whether Kumaraswamy had been issued any notice or whether his direct involvement in the alleged operation had been established, Singh said the investigation was still underway and it was too early to draw conclusions.
“At present, we have arrested only Ritesh Pandey. He has stated that he brought the mobile phone and handed it over on the instructions of Prajwal Prasad. We cannot say anything conclusively at this stage,” he said.
Clarifying the circumstances of the handover, the Commissioner said Pandey’s statement indicated that Prasad was present at the residence of the Minister when the phone was delivered.
“He has told the police in his statement that he received instructions to hand over the mobile phone to Prajwal Prasad. Prasad was at that residence, he handed it over to him,” the Commissioner said.
The police are awaiting the questioning of Sharma and Prasad to establish further details about the alleged operation, including the financial transactions and the roles played by those involved.
“We will get more details once the other two are traced and questioned,” he added.
Bengaluru city police on Thursday claimed that the allegations of sexual abuse portrayed in a viral sting video linked with Siddaramaiah were a part of a fabricated and deliberately constructed narrative.
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