The Bengaluru Central Crime Branch on Monday searched the residence and office of Kannada news channel Power TV head Rakesh Shetty in connection with an alleged sting operation targeting former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, according to official sources cited by PTI.
CCB teams conducted the searches at locations in Bengaluru from the morning, the report said. Police have already questioned Shetty and former Congress leader Kripa Alva, who are alleged to be behind videos containing accusations against Siddaramaiah.
Two videos were uploaded on YouTube reportedly in September. Siddaramaiah subsequently approached the court and obtained an injunction restraining the media from reporting on the videos. He also filed a police complaint seeking an investigation into their creation and publication.
The searches followed a statement by Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Sunday about the mobile phone allegedly used to upload the videos on social media. According to the Commissioner’s statement, the phone was purchased in New Delhi and handed over to a person identified as Prajwal Prasad at the official residence of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy in the national capital.
The reported handover was made on Prasad’s instructions, according to the statement of arrested accused Ritesh Pandey, the Commissioner said. The report did not state that Kumaraswamy or his office had been accused of involvement in the alleged sting operation.
Pandey, who is based in Delhi, was arrested on October 24 in connection with the uploading of the video. He was the first person arrested in the case. The CCB apprehended him in Delhi and brought him to Bengaluru for questioning, according to the report.
The searches form part of the police investigation into how the videos were produced, transferred and uploaded, as well as the roles allegedly played by individuals questioned or arrested in the case. The report did not provide details of what investigators seized during Monday’s searches or indicate whether further arrests had been made.
The case also highlights the intersection of police investigation, digital publication and court restrictions. While the court injunction limits media reporting on the videos, the police investigation into their circulation is continuing, with the CCB examining the alleged movement of the mobile phone and the people connected to its use. Further action will depend on the investigation and the evidence collected by the agency.
