BENGALURU: BJP MLA Munirathna was arrested by a team of the Ramanagara police in connection with a rape case on Friday morning, immediately after he stepped out of the Bengaluru Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara.
Munirathna, 60, who was granted bail in the atrocities case on Thursday, was released on Friday morning. Soon, he was arrested and taken to the Kaggalipura police station in connection with the rape case filed against him by a 40-year-old social worker from Bengaluru. The Ramanagara police had camped outside the prison anticipating his release on Thursday evening. The MLA, however, was released on Friday morning as inmates are not released late in the evening.
The Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA was taken to the community health centre in Kaggalipura for medical check-up on Friday afternoon. Owing to lack of facilities, he was then taken to another hospital near Harohalli, which is almost 20 km from the police station. After the medical check-up, Munirathna was again brought to the station, where a team headed by Ramanagara DySP Dinakar Shetty questioned him.
The MLA, however, is said to have been not cooperating with the probe. Munirathna was tight lipped during the questioning and due to non-cooperation, in all likelihood, he would be taken to police custody for further questioning. He must be taken for mahazar to a private resort in Kaggalipura and to the godown in JP Park, where the complainant claims to have been raped by him. The police will also have to recover his clothes and other evidence to send them to FSL for scientific tests.
Meanwhile, two police teams headed by Magadi police station inspector and Kanakapura Rural police station inspector have been formed to arrest the remaining six accused in the case. The woman had alleged that the MLA raped her repeatedly between 2020 and 2022 and also threatened and blackmailed her by keeping her private videos to honey-trap others.
GOVT MULLS FORMING SIT
It is said that the State Government is contemplating forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the cases registered against MLA Munirathna. A few Congress MLAs hailing from the Vokkaliga community, including Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda and Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar met CM Siddaramaiash on Friday urging him to set up the SIT.