Bengaluru: Investigators probing the circulation of alleged fabricated sting videos involving former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah have found that the mobile phone used to upload the recordings was handed over at Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s official residence in New Delhi, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh has said.
The development emerged during the investigation into videos that circulated online carrying allegations of sexual abuse involving Siddaramaiah. The police have described the allegations portrayed in the recordings as part of a fabricated narrative.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Police Commissioner Singh said an arrested suspect, Rithesh Pandey, had told investigators that he and another person, Vinod Sharma, had acted on the instructions of an individual identified as Prajwal Prasad.
According to Singh, both Prasad and Sharma are absconding and have filed anticipatory bail petitions. The police are continuing their investigation to establish the roles of the individuals involved and trace the mobile phone used to upload the videos.
Phone reportedly purchased in Karol Bagh
The technical investigation revealed that the mobile phone being traced was purchased by Pandey and Sharma from a shop in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, the commissioner said.
Singh stated that the phone was subsequently handed over to Prasad at the official residence of Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy in the national capital.
The police are examining the chain of custody of the device and the circumstances surrounding its transfer. The phone is an important part of the investigation into the origin and circulation of the videos.
The commissioner’s account of the phone’s movement is based on the investigation and the statement attributed to the arrested suspect. Further inquiries are under way.
Police describe allegations in videos as fabricated
On Thursday, Bengaluru Police had issued a statement saying that the evidence gathered during the investigation so far did not substantiate the allegations of sexual abuse depicted in the viral videos.
According to the statement from the Police Commissioner’s office, the recordings contained a fabricated and deliberately constructed narrative. The police said the statements recorded and evidence collected during the inquiry did not establish the occurrence of the incidents portrayed in the videos.
The police also stated that all individuals appearing in the recordings had been identified and examined extensively, with some questioned on multiple occasions.
Their statements, along with the material collected during the investigation, prima facie indicated that the allegations made or implied against the individuals featured in the videos were false and concocted, the statement said.
However, the police clarified that the investigation into these aspects was continuing.
Investigation focuses on those involved in uploading videos
The latest findings have brought the alleged movement of the mobile phone and the roles of the individuals named during the investigation into focus.
Pandey’s statement, as described by the police commissioner, identifies Prasad as the person who allegedly instructed him and Sharma. The technical investigation has also traced the reported purchase of the phone to a shop in Karol Bagh and its subsequent handover at Kumaraswamy’s official residence in New Delhi.
The police are yet to complete their investigation into the alleged chain of events. Prasad and Sharma remain absconding, according to the commissioner, while their anticipatory bail petitions are pending.
The allegations concerning the phone’s transfer do not, by themselves, establish the involvement of any other person at the location where it was reportedly handed over. The investigation is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the device and the roles of those allegedly connected with the uploading of the recordings.
Police say further investigation is continuing
The case has drawn attention because the videos circulated with allegations involving a former chief minister. The police have stated that the evidence collected so far does not support the incidents depicted in the recordings.
The latest disclosure about the mobile phone adds another aspect to the investigation, which is now examining the device’s purchase, transfer and alleged use in uploading the videos.
The police have not indicated that the investigation is complete. Further action will depend on the evidence gathered and the examination of the individuals named in the case.