The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police, probing three rape cases against JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, 33, has amassed substantial circumstantial evidence ahead of his expected return from abroad on May 31.
Revanna, who departed the country on April 27 following the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and amid the emergence of alleged sexual assault videos, is slated to arrive at 12:35 am on Friday from Munich, Germany. The SIT, armed with an arrest warrant, is likely to detain him upon arrival.
The primary evidence against Revanna, the NDA candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, stems from the testimonies of three sexual assault victims. Supporting this, the SIT has gathered secondary evidence, including video recordings of the alleged assaults and corroborating location data. Central to the investigation are videos purportedly filmed by Revanna himself, despite his face not being visible in them. The SIT is relying on physical and auditory clues from these videos to solidify their case.
The SIT has also conducted comprehensive crime scene mappings to validate the locations of the assaults depicted in the recordings. This includes verifying cell tower data for both the accused and the victims on the dates of the alleged incidents. On Wednesday, the SIT seized beds, cots, and other furniture from Revanna’s quarters in Hassan, where some of the assaults allegedly took place.
In their efforts, the SIT has gathered statements from over a dozen witnesses familiar with the occurrences at the MP’s residences in Hassan and Bengaluru. They have also collected voice samples and other physical evidence, including potential DNA from Revanna after his anticipated arrest.
One victim claimed she was assaulted at Revanna’s family residence in Bengaluru after being brought there for domestic work, and also in Hassan. The SIT is tracing data stored on iCloud servers to follow the trail of the sex videos, which were reportedly transferred via AirDrop by Revanna’s former driver, Karthik N. Karthik, who allegedly transferred the videos to his own device after a fallout with Revanna in March 2023, has been missing since the scandal broke ahead of the April 26 polls.
The SIT is investigating the technical data from iPhones and iCloud accounts involved in sharing the videos to pinpoint the original source. Revanna’s anticipatory bail pleas, filed remotely, are scheduled for a hearing on May 31, just hours after his expected arrival in Bengaluru. Given the existing arrest warrant, his arrest by the SIT is imminent upon his return.
