Published Nov 01, 2026 | 6:16 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 01, 2026 | 7:09 PM
Union Minister Kumaraswamy protesting outside the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner’s office against the police targeting JD(S) workers.
Synopsis: Though Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh named two persons, reportedly part of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s social media team, investigators have not yet established their roles. Singh said the probe could make crucial progress only after interrogating the duo.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police, investigating an alleged sting operation targeting former chief minister Siddaramaiah, has issued summons to two persons, reportedly part of Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy’s social media team, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said on Sunday, 1 November.
Mentioning Kumaraswamy for the first time, the police identified the two men as Vinod Sharma and Prajwal Prasad.
”They have not replied to our notices, and according to our information, they have moved for anticipatory bail,” Singh said. “Crucial progress in this investigation can only take place once both individuals are secured and interrogated.”
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The Commissioner said the duo became persons of interest after the CCB arrested a Ghaziabad resident, Ritesh Pandey. Singh said Pandey, who was granted bail, named the two during interrogation.
“Ritesh disclosed in his statement that, on the instructions of Mr. Prajwal Prasad, he accompanied another associate, Vinod Sharma, to a mobile shop in Delhi’s Karol Bagh area and purchased a handset,” Commissioner Singh said.
“Following the purchase, both Ritesh Pandey and Vinod Sharma reportedly went to the Kushak Road residence of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy in New Delhi and handed over the device to Prajwal Prasad, who was present inside,” he added.
Pandey was also reportedly part of Kumaraswamy’s social media team.
Investigators have gathered technical evidence to cross-verify the Ghaziabad man’s claims, examining CCTV footage as well as digital records of financial transactions between Prasad and Pandey.
Singh said Pandey repeatedly named Prasad as the instigator behind procuring the device during questioning. However, the police maintained that his claims were yet to be verified.
”We are currently verifying all the statements and technical facts. The veracity of these claims will be confirmed once the remaining accused are apprehended and interrogated,” the Commissioner said.
Pandey was arrested on suspicion that he had uploaded the controversial sting video onto social media platforms, using a second-hand smartphone he had purchased from Delhi. To avoid identification, he allegedly did not use a SIM card and instead relied on a Wi-Fi connection to upload the footage.
Incidentally, Kumaraswamy had staged a sit-in outside the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner’s office on 15 October, demanding that the police question him instead of targeting JD(S) workers.
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The controversy began on 9 October, when Congress MLA Ganiga Ravikumar alleged that a Union Minister and a Karnataka BJP leader had hired a Delhi-based agency to conduct sting operations targeting 10 Karnataka ministers to embarrass the Congress government.
Siddaramaiah denied any connection to the purported operation and accused “miscreants” of using the video circulating on social media to damage his reputation. He also lodged a complaint with the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, seeking an impartial investigation into the video, and appealed to the media and the public not to circulate false information.
Kumaraswamy led a JD(S) march to the Director General of Police’s office in Bengaluru on 17 October, demanding action against those allegedly behind the operation.
He claimed that the purported video showed a woman being questioned about the time she had spent with a man and asked to identify marks on his body.
“When Siddaramaiah sees all this, doesn’t his blood boil?” Kumaraswamy asked. “What complaint have you filed, Siddaramaiah?”
Separately, the Bengaluru City Civil and Sessions Court issued an interim order restraining media organisations and social media platforms from publishing, circulating or hosting the purported sting operation video.
Siddaramaiah had approached the court on 12 October, seeking a temporary ex parte injunction against the defendants and related persons to prevent the video from being telecast or published through any medium.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
