Siddaramaiah sting video probe leads to Kumaraswamy's Delhi residence
An arrested accused claimed a mobile phone used in the operation was delivered to Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy's residence.
The Bengaluru police investigation into an alleged sting video targeting Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has identified a connection to Delhi, according to reports by India Today, The Pioneer and Hindustan Times.
Ritesh Pandey, a freelance social media content creator arrested in Delhi, allegedly told investigators that he and Vinod Sharma purchased a mobile phone in Karol Bagh on the instructions of Prajwal Prasad. Prasad is a media consultant associated with the social media team of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said that Pandey claimed the two men then went to Kumaraswamy's residence on Kushak Road in Delhi to hand the phone to Prasad. Singh stated that these claims are being verified through CCTV footage, financial transactions, and technical intelligence.
Police have issued notices to Prasad and Sharma, but they have not responded and are reportedly absconding. Investigators have also learned that both men have applied for anticipatory bail.
In a statement on October 29, Bengaluru police said the sexual abuse allegations in the video appeared to be part of a fabricated narrative. The police noted that the evidence collected so far did not substantiate the allegations, which concern an incident from 2011.
The investigation is working to reconstruct how the video was circulated via anonymous accounts using VPNs and masked IP addresses. The mobile phone allegedly used to record the video has been seized for forensic examination.