Bengaluru, May o4, 2024: Karnataka JD(S) MLA HD Revanna has been taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team that’s looking into kidnapping allegations by a woman; it is also probing rape allegations against his son Prajwal Revanna in the obscene videos case.
The woman whose son filed the kidnapping case against HD Revanna and his aide Satish has been traced by the Karnataka Police. She will speak to the special investigation team. The MLA’s son Prajwal Revanna is an accused in sex assault cases.
The woman had worked at the Revannas’ house for nearly five years, and quit three years ago. Her son alleged she was picked up on April 26 by Satish, the close aid of HD Revanna. She was brought home the same day, but was taken by HD Revanna’s man on April 29. She had been missing since then.
Just before he was taken into custody, HD Revanna’s request for interim protection from arrest in the kidnapping case was rejected by a local court. "Why was this person kidnapped? We still don’t know the involvement of Prajwal (Revanna). Certain sections of the complaint speak volumes of what transpired. Are they preventing her from filing a complaint? We can’t see this FIR in isolation. It should be connected with the broader aspect," the special public prosecutor (SPP) said.
"The petitioner is influential. He has gone to the extent of threatening people... We want to understand whether this was done only on this victim, or are there more. We have to protect these people," the SPP said.
The Karnataka special investigation team (SIT) that’s looking into cases of sex assault against the MLA’s son today also issued a lookout notice against his father. Obscene video clips allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna had started making the rounds in Karnataka’s Hassan in recent days. He is the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) Lok Sabha candidate from the same place.
Prajwal Revanna is believed to have flown abroad on April 27, a day after the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka was held. His lawyer had sought seven days for him to appear before the SIT.
The Karnataka government today asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to seek other nations’ help to trace Prajwal Revanna over allegations that he raped multiple women and blackmailed them with videos. He is the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.
The first information report against Prajwal Revanna was filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday after a Janata Dal (Secular) worker alleged she was raped by him at gunpoint.
The woman was rescued from the farmhouse of Rajashekar, the personal assistant to HD Revanna, from a farmhouse in Mysuru district’s Kalenahalli village, news agencies reported. The woman, who had gone missing on April 29, was locked up in the farmhouse when the SIT officers reached there following a tip-off.
Sources said Mr Rajashekar is absconding ever since the SIT traced the woman to his farmhouse. She will be brought to Bengaluru where her statement will be recorded.