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Congress leader, husband held for blackmailing former minister
The couple allegedly blackmailed Congress leader and former minister Maalikayya Guttedar, and demanded ₹20 lakh to withhold compromising audio and video clips recorded during WhatsApp calls
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested a senior district Congress leader in Kalaburagi, Manjula Patil, and her husband Shivraj Patil in connection with a case of alleged blackmailing and extortion, police officers aware of the matter said on Sunday.
The couple allegedly blackmailed Congress leader and former minister Maalikayya Guttedar, and demanded ₹20 lakh to withhold compromising audio and video clips recorded during WhatsApp calls.
Manjula, a long-time Congress member, reportedly used her position to establish contact with Guttedar. Over time, both of them communicated frequently, during which she recorded video calls, and later leveraged the recordings to seek payment. Manjula also stored incriminating material connected to several other individuals on her phone, widening the scope of the investigation, investigators said.
The matter escalated when Manjula and Shivraj reportedly approached Guttedar’s son, Ritesh, for a financial settlement in Bengaluru two days before their arrest. Following Ritesh’s formal complaint, the CCB swiftly apprehended the couple on Saturday near Garuda Mall. The operation led to their detention, following which a medical examination was conducted. The couple was presented before a court, which sent them to eight-day police custody, they added.
Investigators revealed that Manjula initiated contact with Ritesh on October 21, identifying herself as the Nalapad Brigade president. She alleged that Guttedar sent her offensive messages, seeking a meeting with Ritesh to address the issue. This culminated in a meeting at Swathi Gardenia Hotel in Kodigehalli, where the Patils allegedly demanded ₹20 lakh in exchange for silence and a promise not to release damaging information to the media.
The police report stated that on October 23 and 24, the couple persistently contacted Ritesh via WhatsApp, using threats to coerce payment.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP), CCB, Srinivas Gowda said, “Following Ritesh’s complaint, we arranged for the accused to come to Bengaluru to collect the money and subsequently arrested them.”
Six smartphones recovered from Manjula’s possession contained sensitive videos of at least eight people, including a former zilla panchayat member, a police officer and a PWD official.
The CCB has registered a case against the couple under section 306(8), which addresses extortion through intimidation and accusation, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further investigation is underway.
