Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 25 (ANI): The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru Police has made a major breakthrough in the alleged sting operation targeting former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with the arrest of a man from Delhi.
The accused has been identified as Ritesh Pandey, a resident of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, who was reportedly working at the camp office of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
According to CCB sources, Pandey was produced before a local court on Friday afternoon and was subsequently granted bail.
Investigators suspect Pandey to be the primary person who uploaded the controversial sting video on social media. Police said he allegedly purchased a second-hand smartphone in Delhi specifically to carry out the upload. To hide his identity and digital trail, he did not insert a SIM card into the phone and instead used a Wi-Fi connection to circulate the footage.
Police said the video was handed over to Pandey on a pen drive and then transferred to the device. The CCB has seized the mobile phone used in the operation and sent it for forensic analysis.
During digital scrutiny of Pandey’s online activity, police found that his account on X (formerly Twitter) followed only four profiles, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy.
Further investigation is underway.
Earlier, Siddaramaiah on Friday revealed that he has lodged a formal police complaint regarding the alleged “fake sting operation” video targeting him, asserting that the fabricated footage was an attempt to blackmail and defame him now that he is out of power.
Addressing reporters in Mysuru, the senior Congress leader stated that he has also obtained an injunction from a civil court to restrain the circulation of the doctored video, while expressing full faith that the ongoing police investigation will expose those behind the political conspiracy.
“This is a false case. This case was done with the intention to blackmail me. Therefore, I myself have filed a complaint so that the truth comes out. The people should know the truth and also who is behind this. I filed the complaint because I know this is a false creation, and I have obtained an injunction from the civil court so that this lie does not get more publicity. I was Chief Minister for 8 years; at that time no incident of blackmailing me happened. Now I have no power,” Siddaramaiah said. (ANI)
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