JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna Faces Arrest Over Rape Allegations
The Karnataka Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has gathered substantial circumstantial evidence in its investigation of three rape cases against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, 33. Prajwal, who departed India on April 27 after the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and following the emergence of incriminating videos, is set to return on May 31. His flight from Munich is scheduled to land at 12:35 am on Friday, where he is expected to be arrested by the SIT, which holds an arrest warrant.
The primary evidence in the three FIRs of rape comes from the victims’ statements, which prompted the cases. The SIT has bolstered its investigation with secondary evidence, including video recordings of the assaults and the locations where they occurred. The videos, reportedly filmed by Prajwal Revanna, are central to the probe. The SIT is also searching for the iPhone, reported missing by Prajwal Revanna, used to record the incidents. Extensive crime scene mappings have been carried out to confirm the locations shown in the videos. Despite Prajwal’s face not appearing in the footage, the SIT is using physical attributes and voices from the videos to identify him. Additional technical evidence, such as cell phone tower data, is being used to verify the presence of the accused and victims at the crime scenes.
The SIT has gathered statements from over a dozen witnesses who were present at Prajwal’s quarters in Hassan and his family residences in Bengaluru and Hassan. Early in the investigation, the SIT conducted detailed crime scene mappings using video, photography, and drawings to validate the crime locations. “There were attempts to alter the scene of the crime as seen in the videos,” an SIT source stated. On Wednesday, the SIT seized beds, cots, and furniture from Prajwal’s quarters, where some assaults allegedly took place.
Voice samples from victims who resisted the assaults, captured in the videos, have been collected for verification. After Prajwal’s arrest, his voice samples, physical attributes, and potentially DNA will be collected to strengthen the case. One victim alleged that she was assaulted at the MP’s family residence in Bengaluru after being brought from Hassan for domestic work.
The SIT is also investigating cloud data (iCloud) to trace the origin and distribution of the sex videos. The videos were reportedly stolen by Prajwal’s driver, Karthik N, using the ‘AirDrop’ feature to transfer them to a new iPhone. Karthik, who had a fallout with Prajwal Revanna over a property dispute in March 2023, has been missing since the controversy arose. He is accused of distributing morphed images and videos of Prajwal ahead of the April 26 elections.
The SIT is examining technical data from iPhone and iCloud users involved in sharing the videos to identify the original sources. With Apple’s robust security measures, locating the device or account where the recordings were stored could provide key evidence. Prajwal’s anticipatory bail plea, filed from abroad, is scheduled for hearing on May 31, just hours after his expected arrival, suggesting he will likely be arrested by the SIT, which secured an arrest warrant on May 18.
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