The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing alleged multiple instances of sexual abuse by Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna and all related cases, has, for the first time, begun its investigation into the leak of the explicit clips.
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The SIT arrested Likhith Gowda and Chetan from Hassan on Sunday morning (May 12) for allegedly circulating obscene content. They are reportedly BJP workers and close associates of former Hassan BJP MLA and BJP state general secretary Preetham Gowda.
There were allegations that several followers of Preetham Gowda, owing to his differences with the H.D. Revanna family, had not worked for the NDA candidate Prajwal Revanna. Preetham Gowda is yet to react to any of these allegations.
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SIT officials conducted mahazar at Chetan’s residence in Yalagunda in Hassan taluk and Likhith Gowda’s residence in Sharavanabelagola on Sunday following their arrest. SIT officials recovered two pen drives and a Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a desktop computer that the accused had allegedly used to spread the obscene clips. SIT sources said the duo had conspired to destroy these digital devices to cover their tracks and were caught in the nick of time.
Their arrests are in connection with the FIR registered at Hassan CEN Police Station on April 23, a day after several pen drives with the explicit clips were found in and around Hassan town on the morning of April 22.
Poornachandra Tejaswi, an advocate and JD(S) party agent of Hassan Lok Sabha constituency, filed a complaint with CEN Police in Hassan on April 23 against Naveen Gowda and others. He alleged that Naveen Gowda and others created morphed images of JD (S) candidate Prajwal Revanna and circulated them through pen drive, CD, WhatsApp in the constituency ahead of polling. Hassan went to polls on April 26.
These arrests come days after JD (S) state president, former Chief Minister and Mr. Prajwal’s uncle H.D. Kumaraswamy alleged that the SIT was not probing how the videos were leaked at all. He claimed since the faces of the women were not masked, those who leaked the videos also committed a heinous crime and caused distress to the victims. However, he alleged Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar had leaked the videos.
