BENGALURU: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police grilled former mayor and corporator R Sampath Raj and another corporator, Abdul Rakeeb Zakir, on Tuesday in connection with the DJ Halli riots. It is learnt that both the corporators told the police that they had no links to the riots.
Sampath Raj is the corporator of Devara Jeevana Halli (DJ Halli) ward while Zakir represents Pulakeshinagar ward.Both arrived at the CCB office around 11 am and came out of the office around 5 pm. Sources said that both were grilled for more than four hours.
It is said that both the corporators were summoned by the police as investigations had revealed that they had allegedly exchanged phone calls with some of the rioters, who were already arrested, before and during the riots.
After the inquiry, both the corporators told the media that they had answered all the questions asked by the police and they cannot speak much about it as the matter was still under investigation.
Meanwhile, P Naveen, who was arrested by the police for allegedly posting a sacrilegious post on social media that led to the riots, has been remanded in judicial custody.
Naveen in central prison
As his police custody ended on Tuesday, the police produced Naveen before a court and did not seek for extension of his police custody. Later, Naveen was escorted to the Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara.
East Division police have continued arrests in connection with the riots.Police said that close to 400 people have been arrested so far in the case.