Prajwal Revanna lands in Bengaluru, taken into custody by SIT team

BENGALURU: JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who had left for Germany on April 27 and is facing several accusations of sexual assault, was taken into custody as soon as he landed at Bengaluru in the early hours of Friday.

Special Investigation Team sleuths and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel detained Prajwal on his arrival by a Lufthansa flight from Munich at 12.50 am.

Many policemen were deployed at the airport to ensure that the 33-year-old was safely escorted for investigation avoiding the media scrum.

He was then taken to the CID office in Bengaluru.

Prajwal had flown to Germany on April 27, a day after Karnataka voted in the second phase of polling.

In a video message on Monday, he had stated that he would appear before the SIT on Friday before 10 am. Since then, the SIT sleuths have been on high alert.

On Thursday, they coordinated with the local police, CISF personnel and immigration officials to take the accused MP into their custody.

Three FIRs, including two for rape, have been registered against Prajwal, the BJP candidate from Hassan LS constituency.

The special court for Elected Representatives had on Thursday rejected his application for anticipatory bail ahead of arrival.

Prajwal’s decision to return came after his grandfather and former PM Deve Gowda had on May 25 issued a strict warning to Prajwal asking him to return to the country and face the law for his alleged involvement in the sexual assault case.

The move by the ex-PM was seen by many as an effort to salvage his personal image, and that of his family and party, both of which had taken a severe beating.