KSE aide kidnap bid: Cops may issue notice to rowdy, 4 associates

The Mahalakshmi Layout police may issue notices to four aides of a history-sheeter in connection with the kidnap of Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa’s personal assistant Vinay.

The police questioned N R Santosh, personal assistant of BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa, for over seven hours for the fourth day on Sunday. The questioning will resume on Monday.

“We need to ascertain more details about the involvement of Santosh in the case. We strongly suspect close links between Santosh and Kishore, Selvam, Aiyappa and Aravind, the four associates of history-sheeter Prashanth,” said a police officer.

All the four may be detained any time. The four have already obtained anticipatory bail. The police have decided to question them due to contradictory statements made by Santosh.

“He has been in denial mode and has been making contradictory statements. We need to interrogate Santosh in the presence of all the four as he is refusing any links with them. We have evidence to establish that he was in constant touch the four,” the officer said.

It is said that Santosh had made arrangements for the stay of Prashanth and his associates at a lodge in Bengaluru three days before the abduction bid on May this year. The five men surveyed Vinay’s residence and watched his movements before making an attempt to abduct him. The police have reportedly collected evidence regarding the lodge rent paid by Santosh.

“He claimed he didn’t know anything about Prashanth. We produced a picture of an event clicked at Yeddyurappa’s residence Dhavalagiri, attended by Prashanth and Santosh. Later, he claimed Prashanth was a BJP worker,” said the officer.

Santosh claimed he did not have any links with Rajendra Urs, a co-accused in the case. Cops interrogated Santosh in Urs’ presence and Urs claimed he plotted Vinay’s abduction based on Santosh’s directions.

The abduction occurred reportedly over a CD which reportedly contained intimate scenes of Santosh with a model. Santosh decided to abduct Vinay as the latter had the CD and planned to release it.

A gang had intercepted Vinay’s car at Mahalakshmi Layout in May, while he was returning home. The suspects attacked Vinay and tried to kidnap him. Vinay raised an alarm, prompting passersby to rush to his rescue, following which the gang fled.

The police registered a case based on Vinay’s complaint. Santosh had absconded after the complaint was filed. Recently, a local court granted him conditional anticipatory bail, directing him to appear before the police for interrogation.