Karnataka Sex Tape Scandal: SIT Gets 4-Day Custody of HD Revanna

New Delhi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the sex tape scandal in Karnataka was on Sunday granted four-day custody of tainted JDS leader HD Revanna, Republic has learnt. HD Revanna, who is the son of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, was produced before magistrate Ravindra Kumar B Kattimanni at his residence where SIT officials had sought five-day custody of the Holenarasipura MLA.

HD Revanna was on Saturday arrested over charges of abducting and illegally confining a woman (also mother of three children), whom his son and primary accused in the case – Prajwal Revanna – is alleged to have sexually abused. The complaint was lodged by the woman's son on Thursday.

Earlier during the day, Revanna called his arrest an “outcome of a political conspiracy”, and claimed there is “no evidence” of his involvement in the case based on the complaint against him registered on May 2.

"There are no evidences pertaining to the May 2 complaint. It's a big political conspiracy... A conspiracy was hatched against me," news agency PTI quoted Revanna as saying at the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, where he was taken for a medical checkup before being produced in court.

The SIT is investigating sexual abuse allegations involving HD Revanna's son and now-suspended Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, after a huge cache of explicit videos allegedly involving Prajwal sexually abusing several women surfaced in the public domain and were widely shared.

In the complaint filed against HD Revanna at the KR Nagar police station, the woman's 20-year-old son alleged that Revanna's close aide Sathish Babanna had taken his mother away on a motorcycle on April 29, stating that the MLA wanted to see her.

The complainant further said that Babanna told him that if his mother "opened her mouth before the police", she and her family members would be arrested.

The 20-year-old complainant later learnt that his mother was among the women in the cache of videos that had been doing rounds across the state, and that it showed her being tied up and raped allegedly by Prajwal. And as he expressed fear over his mother being in danger, police arrested Sathish Babanna and secured the woman from a farmhouse.

Meanwhile, the SIT has launched a Helpline Number [6360-938947] for victims in the Prajwal Revanna Obscene Video Case.

Last week, based on the recommendation of the State Commission for Women chief Nagalakshmi Chowdhary, the Karnataka government had formed a Special Investigation Team, which is now investigating the matter.

A total of three FIRs have been registered in connection the sexual abuse allegations, so far.

In the first case in Holenarasipura, the cook and relative of the Revannas complained that HD Revanna and his son Prajwal had molested her.

In the second complaint at CID Bengaluru, a JDS leader accused Prajwal of raping her at gunpoint, videographing the rape and then blackmailing her.

The third complaint against Revanna pertains to the abduction and illegal detention of a woman.

(With inputs from PTI)