BENGALURU: The mobile phone allegedly used in the sting operation targeting former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was handed over to an accused at the official residence of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy in New Delhi, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said on Sunday.
"Arrested accused Ritesh Pandey disclosed during interrogation that he and another accused, Vinod Sharma, purchased a mobile phone from a shop in Karol Bagh, Delhi, on the instructions of Prajwal Prasad. They later took the phone to Kumaraswamy’s official residence on Kushak Road in New Delhi and handed it over to Prasad, who was present inside the house." the commissioner said.
The Commissioner clarified that these details were based on Pandey’s statement and that the claims were being verified as part of the ongoing investigation.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) Cyber Crime Police arrested Ritesh Pandey in Delhi on October 24 in connection with Case No. 56/26 registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station. Pandey is presently out on bail.
"Notices have been issued to Vinod Sharma and Prajwal Prasad, but both have reportedly not responded and are absconding. We have learnt that they have filed anticipatory bail applications. Further investigation in the case will only be possible once we interrogate Vinod and Prajwal once they are arrested." commissioner said.
"Further interrogation of the two accused is expected to help establish the sequence of events and identify others involved in the alleged operation. The police have also gathered technical evidence, including CCTV footage and other digital records, besides detecting suspicious financial transactions between Pandey and Prasad. We are examining the roles of all three individuals, who are reportedly associated with the social media team of the minister's office," the Commissioner said.
Police are also probing whose instructions the accused were acting upon and whether others were involved in orchestrating the alleged sting operation. Singh further added that the police were examining the case from different angles and that all claims and evidence would be verified before arriving at conclusions.
The development comes days after Bengaluru police described the allegations of sexual abuse portrayed in the viral sting video involving Siddaramaiah as a fabricated and deliberately constructed narrative.
In a statement, the Commissioner's office had said the evidence collected so far, including statements of individuals appearing in the video, did not substantiate the alleged incident depicted in the recording. Police said all those featured in the video had been identified and examined, some of them more than once.