BENGALURU: Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials on Thursday questioned Santosh, the personal assistant of BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa, in connection with former minister H Y Meti's alleged sex CD case.
According to CID officials, Santosh was summoned because he was in contact with Rajashekar Mulali, a social activist who reportedly leaked the alleged sex CD. Call Details Record (CDR) of the Mulali indicated that Santosh was in touch with Mulali, they said.
Santosh appeared before CID DySP Ravishankar who is investigating the case. Sources said that though Santhosh agreed that he had known Mulali from a long time, he denied any role in the sex CD case that led to the minister’s resignation.
Santosh is also being questioned by Bengaluru city police in the May 11, kidnap-attempt case of Vinay Kumar, the personal assistant of BJP leader Eshwarappa.
In May, CID gave a clean chit to Meti in the alleged sex scandal case after they failed to establish the case on technical grounds. However, CID officials continued the investigations as Meti claimed it to be a conspiracy to malign his image.
CID had collected the video footage from many media houses which had aired the same. However, the videos were found to tampered and forensic reports suggested the same. CID sources then said that they were unable to get the original tape raising suspicions that it was done to malign Meti’s image.
On December 14, last year, a section of electronic media aired a video in which Meti and a woman were allegedly having sex in his office. Meti later resigned as Excise minister.
On December 17, the woman filed a complaint against district armed reserve constable Subash Mulukoda, BJP worker Ashok Lagakoti, Maruti Virajkar, Siddalingesh Ambalagatti for threatening her to level sexual assault allegations against Meti.
Later, she also filed a complaint in Navanagar police station. A case was registered under IPC sections 143, 241, 354 (a), 366, 109, 120 (b). 504 and 307.
Earlier this week, the victim attempted suicide and said that she was being threatened by the followers of Meti which led her to take such extreme step.
CID has already questioned social activist Rajashekar Mulali, a former BJP minister Subash Mugukoda, Ashok Lagaloti, Maruti Virajkar, Siddalingesh Ambalagatti and four media persons during investigation.