Suspended JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna has been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) upon his return from Germany, in connection with allegations of sexually abusing several women.
The 33-year-old MP was apprehended at Kempegowda International Airport just after midnight, following his arrival from Munich.
He was subsequently taken to the CID office for interrogation.
A significant police presence at the airport ensured his safe transfer for investigation.
Clad in a hoodie, Revanna returned to Bengaluru a month after the scandal erupted, only to be detained by Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) officials, who then handed him over to the SIT.
A court warrant had been pending against him, and after completing the necessary formalities, the SIT took him into custody.
Officials reported that police escorted him through a different exit to ensure his security.
Exactly a month after he left the country, Prajwal Revanna, facing multiple charges of sexual abuse, had released a video on May 27 stating his intention to appear before the SIT on May 31.
Revanna, grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and the BJP-JD(S) alliance candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha segment, is facing charges of sexually abusing several women.
He has been booked in three cases of sexual assault so far. He left for Germany on April 27, just a day after the Hassan polls.
A 'Blue Corner Notice' seeking information on his whereabouts was issued by Interpol at the request of the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A Special Court for Elected Representatives issued an arrest warrant against Revanna on May 18, following an application by the SIT.
The Congress-led Karnataka government has urged the Centre to cancel his diplomatic passport.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has served a show-cause notice to Revanna, asking why his diplomatic passport should not be cancelled in light of the allegations.
Terming the cases against him as false and alleging a political conspiracy, Revanna had stated in a video earlier this week that he had gone into depression.
He also filed an anticipatory bail plea at the Principal City and Sessions Court for Elected Representatives on May 29.
The court issued a notice to the SIT to file objections, scheduling the hearing for Friday.
The scandal has sparked a political storm, with the ruling Congress and the BJP-JD(S) alliance engaging in a heated exchange.
The Congress government formed the SIT to probe the cases, while the BJP and JD(S) have demanded that the investigation be handed over to the CBI and called for action against those behind the wide circulation of explicit videos.
The sexual abuse allegations surfaced after several pen drives allegedly containing explicit videos involving Revanna were circulated in Hassan ahead of the Lok Sabha polls on April 26.
H.D. Deve Gowda recently issued a stern warning to Revanna, urging him to return to the country and face the investigation.
Gowda has made it clear that he or other family members would not interfere in the inquiry and that his grandson should receive the harshest punishment under the law if found guilty.
Revanna's uncle, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, had also repeatedly appealed to his nephew to return to the country and face the probe. Following the allegations, the JD(S) suspended Prajwal Revanna from the party.
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