Siddaramaiah sting probe leads police to Kumaraswamy's Delhi home

The Central Crime Branch of the Bengaluru Police probing a controversial digital sting video targeting former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has uncovered operational trails leading directly to the official Delhi residence of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Investigators stated that two close associates linked to the development are currently absconding.

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh disclosed that technical evidence and custodial interrogation statements point to a coordinated sequence behind the creation and upload of the footage. The inquiry has drawn intense political focus across Karnataka, pulling central ministerial quarters into a state-level defamation and blackmail investigation originating from a police complaint filed on October 6.

According to the police chief, arrested accused Ritesh Pandey revealed during questioning that a mobile handset used during the operation was acquired from a marketplace in Delhi's Karol Bagh area. Pandey stated that he and another associate, Vinod Sharma, purchased the device under the direct instructions of Prajwal Prasad, a media consultant connected to the Janata Dal (Secular) social media machinery.

Investigators stated that the newly bought handset was subsequently transported to Kushak Road, housing the official Delhi residence of Kumaraswamy, where it was handed over to Prasad. Police teams have issued formal notices to both Prasad and Sharma for questioning, but officials confirmed that the two aides have gone missing and have filed applications seeking anticipatory bail.

Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge characterized the findings as hard technical intelligence rather than circumstantial assumptions, maintaining that the police hold verifiable digital data concerning the movements of individuals inside the national capital residence. State authorities reiterated that the underlying video, which surfaced on social media channels in late September, contains fabricated and concocted allegations designed to damage public reputations.

Meanwhile, representatives for Kumaraswamy have rejected the allegations, issuing statements that accuse state administrative machinery and investigative units of selectively leaking distorted information to manufacture false political narratives. Forensic experts are examining the original recording device and digital metadata to map the complete circulation chain from its purported origin in 2023.

Law enforcement officials stated that further legal steps, including deeper scrutiny of financial transactions and closed-circuit television records in Delhi, will proceed once the absconding aides are traced and brought in for formal deposition.