Bengaluru: Sleuths from the Central Crime Branch (CCB), Bengaluru, picked up a 22-year-old man in Delhi late Friday night in connection with the alleged sting operation involving former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, marking the first arrest in the case. He was brought to Bengaluru early Saturday morning and produced in court.A local court granted accused Ritesh Pandey conditional bail, directing him to inform the police before leaving Bengaluru and appear for questioning whenever summoned.Police sources said Pandey uploaded the contentious video on multiple social media platforms, including a YouTube channel named ‘Karnataka Honeytrap’. He allegedly told investigators that Prajwal Prasad, a member of a political party’s social media wing, had instructed him to upload the clip.According to an investigating officer, Pandey bought a used Android phone for Rs 15,000 from a shop in Delhi’s Karol Bagh market and used a USB device to upload the video. Police have recovered CCTV footage showing him buying the phone and seized a copy of the purchase bill, the officer added.Police have also issued notices to two members of a political party’s social media team, Mohan Gowda and Chandan, seeking information about who supplied the video to Pandey. Both have been unresponsive, police sources said.A senior IPS officer said investigators had questioned those connected with the case, including people who appeared or were heard in the video.
