Woman allegedly exploited by ex-Karnataka minister abducted, says her father

The woman’s family also released a video requesting the government to help them trace their daughter. Her mother said the woman told her that the latter’s pictures were morphed before the video was aired on news channels

The woman, who was allegedly sexually exploited by former Karnataka minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, was on Tuesday abducted from a hostel in Bengaluru, her father said in a police complaint in Belagavi. The father alleged unidentified people threatened, sexually harassed, and tortured his daughter. The same people also circulated the unverified video of a person resembling the former minister with the woman, he added.

Representational Image.

The woman’s family also released a video requesting the government to help them trace their daughter. Her mother said the woman told her that the latter’s pictures were morphed before the video was aired on news channels. “She told us that she had been held against her will. After two days, her phone was switched off and we do not know where she is now,” the mother said.

“After seeing the video on television, I called her and told her that there is a video of someone like her on television. But she said it was not her...and they have used her morphed photo. She told me that she had not committed any mistake.”

The mother added she asked her to return home, but she said she cannot since there was a threat to her life. “After that when I called her again, she said she was safe. She used to keep messaging my sons but one day she asked us not to contact her because her phone is being monitored. When my son called her again, the phone was switched off.”

The woman also released a video citing the threat to her and her family.

Belagavi’s police commissioner, K Thiyagarajan, said the complaint was filed, but no First Information Report has been registered so far. “We are seeking legal opinion on the matter. We are collecting information from the family as of now,” he said.

He added since the complaint says the alleged abduction took place in Bengaluru, the case could be transferred to Bengaluru police.

Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant said that so far, they have not received any information from the Belagavi police.

Jarkiholi resigned from the state cabinet a day after allegations of sexual exploitation surfaced against the Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Gokak in Belagavi district on March 3.

In his resignation letter, Jarkiholi said the allegations against him were “far from the truth”. “There should be an investigation into this. Even though I am innocent, I am taking moral responsibility and resigning from the cabinet,” Jarkiholi said in the letter, written in Kannada.

The resignation came after Dinesh Kalahalli, a social activist, filed a police complaint in Bengaluru as the video went viral. Kalahalli claimed Kalahalli promised the woman a job and exploited her. The complaint was later withdrawn.

Jarkiholi has separately given a statement to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) saying a group of people, including a Tumakuru-based journalist, tried to extort money from him. They released the video on social media when he refused to pay, he said.

An SIT officer said the alleged abduction case will be transferred to Bengaluru and they will take over the investigation into it.