Bengaluru: The city crime branch (CCB) is in the final stages of preparing the chargesheet for the BJP ticket fraud case, and are expected to present it in court within a week.
The CCB initiated the investigation in response to a complaint filed by Udupi businessman Govinda Babu Pujari. Subsequently, key figures involved in the alleged ticket fraud, including Chaitra, a firebrand Hindu leader and Halveerappa Swamiji of Hirehadagali Halaswami Mutt, have been apprehended.
The investigation was meticulously conducted in line with the complaint registered at Bandepalaya police station. Statements from the complainant and 68 witnesses have been documented, and supplementary evidence has been gathered. The accused’s mobile phone has been seized and forwarded to a forensic laboratory, with the report expected in the coming days.
The charge sheet is being compiled against Chaitra, Halveerappa Swamiji, and seven additional suspects. Authorities have already confiscated ₹4.11 crore and a car belonging to Chaitra from the accused. Furthermore, investigators have reviewed ten videos related to discussions surrounding the fraudulent ticket transactions. The pending chargesheet marks an essential step towards legal proceedings, providing a foundation for the prosecution of individuals involved in the BJP ticket fraud case.
Hindutva activist Chaitra Kundapura and five of her seven accomplices were arrested on 13 September for allegedly conning Rs 5 crore out of a businessman by promising him a BJP ticket to contest the Karnataka Assembly elections in May.
While Chaitra was arrested from Udupi, five accused were held from different locations of the state. The pontiff, Hala swamy was arrested from Cuttak on September 20, while he was escaping to Varanasi in a train. We are waiting for FSL report on mobile phones of accused. Soon after we get report, we will submit the chargesheet, he added.
Speaking to Siasat.com on Friday, a senior CCB police superintendent said that they have gathered 10 video clips related to the crime and recorded statement of 68 witnesses in the case. “We are waiting for FSL report of the confiscated mobiles of the accused. Soon after getting the report we would submit charge sheet,” he added.
