The Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) has said its investigation into the alleged fake sting video targeting former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has found that the sexual-abuse allegations portrayed in the recording were part of a fabricated and deliberately constructed narrative. Three people linked to the Janata Dal (Secular)’s social media operations appeared before investigators on Thursday after a local court granted them anticipatory bail.
Prajwal Prasad, a media consultant associated with the JD(S) in New Delhi, and party social media functionaries Chandan H S and Mohan Gowda K appeared before the CCB in connection with the case. Home Minister Priyank Kharge had earlier accused the three of evading the investigation. The CCB also carried out legal procedures linked to the probe at the official New Delhi residence of Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, according to the report.
Siddaramaiah filed a police complaint on October 6, alleging defamation and blackmail over the video. The recording first appeared on September 27 on a social media account named “Karnataka Honey Trap” and was later aired by some Kannada television channels. The video was allegedly recorded in 2023 but purportedly referred to an incident from 2011.
The police investigation has focused on how the recording was created, obtained and circulated. The CCB said statements and evidence collected so far did not substantiate the occurrence depicted in the video. It said all individuals appearing in the recording had been identified and examined, with some questioned more than once.
The original mobile phone allegedly used to record the video has been traced, recovered and seized, and sent for forensic examination, the CCB said. Technical analysis indicated that the video was uploaded to multiple platforms, including YouTube and X, during September and October 2026 through anonymous accounts. Investigators said the accounts used VPNs, masked IP addresses, virtual or spoofed phone numbers and other methods of digital concealment, with digital traces linked to locations outside Karnataka.
Investigators traced the device used for the YouTube upload to a Delhi shop dealing in used and refurbished mobile phones. Delhi-based freelance social media content creator Ritesh Pandey was arrested on October 24 and later released on bail. According to investigators, Pandey allegedly told police that he had been instructed by Prasad to upload the video after receiving it on a pen drive. Prasad’s lawyer argued in court that he was not the owner, creator or administrator of the YouTube channel. Chandan and Mohan Gowda also denied involvement in creating the channel.
The case has intensified political exchanges between Kumaraswamy, Priyank Kharge, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah. Kumaraswamy has alleged that the original sting operation was conducted by Power TV managing director Rakesh Shetty at Shivakumar’s behest, a charge rejected by the Congress. Shetty, who has also faced police action in connection with the matter, obtained anticipatory bail on October 23.
The CCB said the circumstances behind the recording, the identities and roles of those involved, and their possible motives remain under investigation. It described the circulation of the video as an apparent attempt to malign public figures, influence public opinion and trigger political controversy.
