Bengaluru Police is preparing to conduct a search at the New Delhi residence of Janata Dal (Secular) leader and Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, in connection with a fabricated sting operation targeting former Karnataka Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Siddaramaiah, police confirmed on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. The development marks a significant escalation in a probe that has already led to one arrest and multiple forensic seizures.

Commissioner Calls High-Level Meeting

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh convened a meeting with senior police officials on Wednesday to chart the next course of action in the investigation. The proposed search of Kumaraswamy's official residence on Kushak Road, New Delhi, follows a series of developments that have drawn the Union Minister's office directly into the case's chain of evidence.

The Commissioner had previously stated that the mobile phone allegedly used to upload the sting operation video was purchased in Delhi and subsequently brought to Kumaraswamy's official residence — a detail that has become central to the investigation.

Prajwal Prasad Appears Before CCB, Phone Seized

Prajwal Prasad, reportedly a member of Kumaraswamy's social media public relations team, appeared before the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bengaluru on Tuesday and recorded his statement before investigating officers. Prasad, who had secured interim bail from a court, pleaded innocence during questioning, claiming he learnt of the incident only through social media. He also told police that he did not know Ritesh Kumar Pandey.

Investigators have seized Prasad's mobile phone and dispatched it for forensic examination. The CCB had issued a formal notice to Prasad on the allegation that he handed over a mobile phone to content creator Ritesh Kumar Pandey at Kumaraswamy's New Delhi official residence.

Arrested Content Creator Disclosed Delhi Purchase Trail

According to the police investigation, Ritesh Pandey — arrested in New Delhi by Bengaluru City Police — disclosed that he purchased the mobile phone in Karol Bagh along with one Vinod Sharma, allegedly on the instructions of Prajwal Prasad. The device was then reportedly brought to Kumaraswamy's official residence and handed over to Prasad, according to Pandey's disclosure to investigators.

This alleged trail — from a Karol Bagh electronics purchase to the Union Minister's official quarters — forms the basis for the impending search operation.

Karnataka Minister Launches Sharp Attack on Kumaraswamy

Karnataka Minister for Kannada and Culture and Backward Classes Welfare, Shivaraj Tangadagi, on Wednesday launched a pointed attack on Kumaraswamy over his public statements on the case. Tangadagi questioned the Union Minister's claim that injustice was being done to Siddaramaiah, asking whether Kumaraswamy's 'continued statements and alleged propaganda' would actually benefit the former Chief Minister.

Tangadagi alleged that the sting operation had been publicised through Kumaraswamy's office and charged him with 'shedding crocodile tears.' He further accused Kumaraswamy of attempting to drive a wedge between Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to foment internal divisions within the Congress.

'The video was uploaded and publicised by Kumaraswamy. He has admitted to it. Is it not shameful for a former Chief Minister to indulge in such activities?' Tangadagi said.

What Happens Next

With forensic analysis of Prasad's phone under way and a Delhi search apparently imminent, investigators are working to establish whether a direct organisational link can be drawn between Kumaraswamy's office and the creation and distribution of the sting video. Kumaraswamy's office has not issued a formal response to the search plan. The case adds pressure on the JD(S)-BJP alliance at the Centre even as it sharpens the political divide in Karnataka ahead of future electoral cycles.