Bengaluru Police arrest Delhi resident over fake sting video targeting Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru police arrested a 22-year-old Delhi resident on Saturday for uploading a video of a fake sting operation that targeted former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. The accused, Ritesh Pandey, was picked up in Delhi and brought to Bengaluru for questioning by the Central Crime Branch cyber unit. Investigators are looking into whether Pandey acted on orders from a member of the Janata Dal (Secular) social media team. The clip was shared online through accounts named Karnataka Honey Trap on YouTube and X. Pandey told police that someone connected to the JD(S) media team told him to upload the footage. Authorities are now trying to trace that person and check if others helped record or spread the material. Police seized electronic items from Pandey, including a used mobile phone thought to be used for uploading the file. Officers are also tracking how the video traveled to other platforms like Facebook and have sent notices to several suspects, some of whom cannot be found. Siddaramaiah filed the initial police complaint, calling the video fake and part of a blackmail plot. Speaking in Mysuru, he stated that he wants the truth to come out and noted that he secured a civil court order to stop further sharing of the clip. He pointed out that he served as chief minister for eight years without facing such blackmail. Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah's son and minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah claimed the woman in the video is a Congress worker and suggested the stunt might have been an effort to help her secure a ticket for the 2023 Puttur assembly election, though he stressed the party itself is not involved. Hindustan Times reached out to JD(S) for comment but received no reply.

Context

Digital black-mail and fake political sting operations have become a common tool used by rival groups to damage reputations during political battles. Police cyber cells track such cases by looking at IP addresses, device logs, and social media sharing chains to find the original uploaders. Defamation laws and IT regulations in India allow courts to order the removal of fake or harmful content once a formal complaint is registered.