Bengaluru's Central Crime Branch (CCB) recently executed raids on a prominent Kannada news channel and its owner's residence in Sahakaranagar, while city police simultaneously bolstered security around the Bengaluru Police Commissioner's Office. These significant developments unfold as the ongoing sting operation probe, which has implicated Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, intensifies its focus on alleged mobile phone exchanges and video circulation.
Authorities deployed two platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and over 50 police personnel at the Commissioner's Office. A police bus also stands by, prepared to transport any groups. Police sources confirmed that these heightened arrangements address the possibility of flash protests by JD(S) workers, who have expressed outrage on social media after Kumaraswamy's name surfaced in connection with the sting case involving former Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Siddaramaiah. Officers have clear instructions to detain anyone attempting to create a disturbance or stage an unlawful protest near the premises.
Concurrently, the CCB's investigation into the sting operation case has sharpened its focus on the alleged exchange and movement of a mobile phone central to the matter. Investigators are diligently gathering technical and documentary evidence, including obtaining the mobile phone's bill and securing CCTV footage. The police have also issued a notice to Prajwal Prasad, a media consultant reportedly associated with the JD(S) in New Delhi, asking him to appear for questioning. Prasad allegedly took a mobile phone to Union Minister Kumaraswamy's residence, and his statement is expected to offer crucial clarity on the sequence of events. Sources indicate that police are considering issuing a notice to Kumaraswamy himself and may inspect his residence as part of the expanding inquiry.
The raids by a special CCB wing targeted the Kannada news channel whose owner had previously claimed responsibility for carrying out the sting operation linked to Siddaramaiah. More than 30 CCB officials and staff participated in the search operation, conducted after obtaining a search warrant. These actions underscore the broadening scope of the investigation, which now scrutinises the alleged handling of electronic devices, the creation and uploading of the video, and the circumstances surrounding the entire operation, amidst an escalating political confrontation.
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📰 Source: Mangalorean News