BENGALURU: Suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader, 33-year-old Member of Parliament (MP) from Hassan in Karnataka Prajwal Revanna, accused of sexually abusing numerous women, was arrested just after midnight as soon as he arrived at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport from Germany by the special investigation team (SIT).

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara told media persons that Prajwal's immigration papers were cleared and he was brought out of the airport expeditiously as he had a diplomatic passport and the MP was arrested after completing the due process. Interestingly he was arrested and led away by a team of women police personnel which included two IPS officers, Suman D Pennekar and Seema Latkar. 

He was later produced before the 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate K N Shivakumar, who heard the remand application and objection argument from Prajwal’s advocate and remanded Prajwal to police custody till June 6 for further investigation.

Revanna, the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, contested the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 as an NDA candidate from the Hassan Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka that he won in 2019 too.  He is facing charges of sexually abusing multiple women. The cases came to light after several pen drives allegedly containing explicit videos involving Revanna were circulated in Hassan ahead of polling in the second phase of general elections on April 26.

As the scandal came to light he fled to Germany and remained untraceable for over a month even as a red corner notice was issued against him. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also said that the government has initiated action to revoke Revanna's diplomatic passport.

Revanna released a video on May 27, days after his grandfather HD Deve Gowda asked him to return to India and face a probe in a sexual abuse case. He said in the video that he would appear before the SIT on May 31. He also apologised to his family, party supporters, and the citizens. Revanna also said that he had been through depression and withdrew from social interactions while alleging that Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders had initiated discussions on the matter as part of a purported conspiracy.