Overview
- Prajwal Prasad, a media consultant reported to be associated with Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s office, appeared for questioning before the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch on Tuesday after securing interim anticipatory bail.
- The CCB arrested Delhi-based content creator Ritesh Pandey earlier in the case for uploading the videos and says Pandey told investigators the phone used was bought in Karol Bagh and handed over to Prasad at Kumaraswamy’s official Delhi residence.
- Bengaluru police have described the videos as an orchestrated and fabricated narrative and say recorded statements from people featured in the clips did not substantiate the alleged claims.
- Investigators have seized Prasad’s phone for forensic examination and, according to police reporting, are preparing to seek further searches and documentary proof as they probe who planned, funded and circulated the material.
- Siddaramaiah obtained a court injunction restraining media reporting on the videos and filed a police complaint; the case highlights how doctored or staged digital material can be used in political fights and why tracing device custody and funding is central to proving authorship.