MLA Byrathi Basavaraj held at Bengaluru airport in Bikla Shiva murder case
BENGALURU: Former minister and BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj was arrested by sleuths of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday in connection with the murder of rowdy-sheeter-turned-realtor Shivaprakash, alias Bikla Shiva, nearly eight months after being named as accused number five in the case.
The arrest comes hours after the Supreme Court refused to grant anticipatory bail to Byrathi Basavaraj aka BA Basavaraj.
The KR Puram MLA was arrested after he landed at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Thursday evening.
A senior police officer said Basavaraj, who is accused number five in the murder of 40-year-old Shivaprakash, was absconding for several days in Gujarat. Soon after he arrived from Ahmedabad at around 7 pm on Thursday, a team of CID sleuths and local police took him into custody from Terminal 1 of the airport and brought him to the CID headquarters on Palace Road.
The officer added that the MLA would be produced before a court on Friday.
CID to probe MLA’s fin transactions
The police are expected to seek his custody for custodial interrogation. A source said that the CID will probe the alleged financial transactions between the MLA and the other accused. The CID had earlier issued a lookout notice for Basavaraj who was absconding after a Bengaluru court denied his anticipatory bail plea. The MLA had also approached the High Court, which rejected his anticipatory bail on February 10.
THE CASE FILE
Rowdy-sheeter-turned-realtor Shivaprakash, alias Bikla Shiva, was hacked to death by a gang of eight assailants near his residence on Meanee Avenue Road on July 15, 2025, allegedly over a property-related dispute. Based on a complaint filed by Shivaprakash’s mother, the MLA has been named as accused number five in the case. On July 24, the case was transferred to the CID, and around 19 accused have been arrested so far in connection with the murder.