Delhi man arrested in alleged sting operation targeting Siddaramaiah

• Police have arrested Delhi resident Ritesh Pandey, the first person held in connection with the alleged sting operation targeting Siddaramaiah.

• Investigators are examining his suspected links to a second-hand mobile phone allegedly used to upload the video.

• Siddaramaiah has dismissed the material as fabricated, as police investigate its origins, circulation and an alleged conspiracy.

A Delhi resident has been arrested in connection with an alleged sting operation targeting former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, police said on Saturday, announcing the first arrest in the investigation.

The accused, Ritesh Pandey, was apprehended in Delhi and brought to Bengaluru for questioning.

Official sources said investigators were examining his suspected connection to a second-hand mobile phone believed to have been used to upload the video. Police are also tracing the material’s digital footprint to establish who uploaded it, how it spread across social media and who else may have been involved.

Two videos containing allegations against Siddaramaiah appeared on YouTube last month. The Congress leader subsequently secured a court injunction restraining the press from reporting on their contents and filed a police complaint seeking an investigation.

On Friday, Siddaramaiah described the alleged operation as “totally concocted” and claimed it was intended to blackmail him. He sought a fair investigation to establish the facts and identify those responsible.

Minister Priyank Kharge said the inquiry would examine the entire sequence of events, including who organised the alleged operation, its purpose, how the material changed hands and why it was uploaded and publicised years later.

He said Siddaramaiah had expressed confidence in the investigation and maintained that those behind any criminal conspiracy would be identified.

Kharge called for a transparent, impartial and swift inquiry, saying police were proceeding without interference or political pressure.

Responding to questions about the alleged involvement of Congress members, he said people whose names had emerged had been summoned and questioned. Their statements and questioning had been documented, he added, with details to be disclosed at an appropriate stage.

Kharge also said some individuals had reportedly become untraceable after notices were issued. Efforts were continuing to locate and question them, he said, without identifying those concerned.

With PTI inputs