BANGALORE: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Friday started investigation into the case of ADGP Ravindranath allegedly taking pictures of a woman at a coffee shop. The team visited the cafe and recorded statements of the staff and also recovered the hard disk of the CCTV.
The team also recorded statements of the complainant, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ravikante Gowda, and PSI M S Ravi, who registered a case at High Grounds Police station against the ADGP. Later, the team went to the High Grounds police station and inquired with a few constables, who had taken Ravindranath to the station in a Hoysala patrol jeep soon after the incident.
Sources in the CID also said they had issued a notice to the complainant and one Sridhar, who is said to have come to the rescue of the woman, asking them to attend the inquiry.
Meanwhile, the CID team is waiting for the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report on the ADGP’s phone from which he had allegedly took the photos.
Raju, a staffer at the coffee shop, told Express that the CCTV camera has not been working for a month because of a technical problem, but police did not ask about the CCTV footage as there were so many people when the incident took place.
High Grounds police on Monday filed a complaint against Ravindranath for allegedly taking ‘obscene’ photographs of a woman at a coffee shop on Cunningham Road.
New ADGP in Office
On Friday, Ravindranath handed over charge to N S Megharikh at the DG&IGP’s office. Prior to this, Megharikh and Ravindranath held a meeting. Sources in the department said Ravindranth is likely to be posted as ADGP-Railway Police.
Ravindranath told media persons that he has not received any notice from the government as he went to the media to discuss the incident without permission from senior police officers. He added that Bangalore city Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar was “a very professional officer”. “But he has a personal grudge against me and I reiterate that I have not committed any mistake and have not clicked the girl’s photos.”
However, Ravindranath requested the government to give him a peaceful exit during the last days of his service.
“I have already tendered my resignation and I hope the Home Minister will decide on accepting it within 4-5 days. But if the government gives me a posting, it will difficult for me as I am not mentally prepared to work again,” he said.