Govt considering handing over ‘Santro’ Ravi probe to CID or setting up SIT

BENGALURU: With Janada Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy training his guns of the BJP government over the ‘Santro’ Ravi episode and the Congress draggin Chief Minister’s Basavaraj Bommai’s son into the controversy, the government is considering ordering an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) or setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe his past links.

The government plans to dig into his links within the Congress and the JD(S) and the contracts he had bagged during the regime of the governments led by the two opposition parties to bring out the truth.

On Monday, the police in Mysuru questioned the priest to conducted the marriage rituals of ‘Santro’ Ravi based on his wife’s complaint. Another special team has also picked up Ravi’s aide and is questioning him. However, despite a week after the complaint was lodged, the police have not been able to trace Ravi, who is in touch with his lawyers and has moved an application in court for anticipatory bail.

K S Manjunath, also known as ‘Santro’ Ravi, has at least 14 cases registered against him in Mysuru apart from other cases in Bengaluru. He used different aliases including, Kiran, Manju among other names and was involved in human trafficking and transfer racket. The cases against him include theft, sexual assault, illegal liquor trade, gambling, and duping women.

On some occasions, he claimed to be from Mandya, while on other occasions, he said his hometown was Mysuru. He used a Hyundai Santro car to drop off women at his customers’ place, which is how he got the prefix, sources said.

Santro Ravi, in collusion with Cottonpet police inspector Praveen had got a false case of dacoity lodged against his wife and sister-in-law through an unnamed person after she questioned his actions. His wife was even jailed in the case.

Manjunath alias Santro Ravi’s wife has lodged a complaint against him in Mysuru.

After she alleged that she was implicated in a false case, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Pratap Reddy had ordered a probe and DCP Lakshman Nimbargi has submitted a report that it was indeed a false case. Meanwhile, Praveen recently was transferred to the intelligence department and the report has been forwarded to the DG&IGP Praveen Sood for further action.

Based on the wife’s complaint with the Vijayanagar police station in Mysuru, a departmental inquiry had been instituted against Praveen.