Bengaluru: In a recent development, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader Suraj Revanna, the brother of Prajwal Revanna, has alleged that he is being blackmailed with a false sexual assault case in Karnataka's Hassan.

Suraj Revanna's friend, Shivkumar, filed a complaint against two men, Chethan and his brother-in-law, claiming they demanded ₹ 5 crore and threatened to file a sexual abuse case against Suraj if their demands were not met. According to Shivkumar, Chethan initially approached him for help in finding a job. Shivkumar provided Suraj Revanna's contact details to Chethan, who then started blackmailing both Shivkumar and Suraj after failing to secure employment.

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The situation escalated when Chethan appeared on a private channel, alleging that he had been sexually abused by Suraj at a farmhouse. This development comes just days after former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna was sent to judicial custody. Prajwal, the 33-year-old grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, had recently lost his bid to retain the Hassan parliamentary constituency in the recent elections.

The allegations of sexual abuse against Prajwal Revanna emerged following the circulation of pen drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving him, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls on April 26. In response to the allegations, JD(S) suspended Prajwal from the party. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has distanced itself from the matter.

In addition to the accusations against Prajwal and Suraj, a police case has been filed against their father, HD Revanna, for allegedly kidnapping a woman who claimed she had been raped by both men. HD Revanna, a former MLA and Public Works Department Minister, was granted bail on May 14 in the kidnapping case and subsequently in the sexual assault case.

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Panaji (PTI): A court in North Goa on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, in police custody for five days.

The brothers, brought to Goa from Delhi after being deported from Thailand in connection with the December 6 blaze that killed 25, were produced in the court after undergoing health check-ups twice at the District Hospital in North Goa.

Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa Puja Sardesai remanded the two brothers in police custody for five days.

Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi who lost four family members in the tragedy, said that the accused were asking for “special consideration” claiming poor health.

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“We said they should not be given any extra relaxation,” he said, adding that the court has taken cognisance of the fact that this is about the death of “25 people in the form of mass genocide”.

“But since they kept pressing for medical check-up, the court ordered reexamination of their health. It is clear in the medical examination that they don’t require any consideration. The accused sought special considerations in the lock-up like a good mattress, which the court refused,” said Joshi.

A team of the Goa Police, along with the Luthra brothers, arrived at the Manohar International Airport, Mopa, in North Goa at 10.45 am.

The duo was initially taken to a Primary Health Centre at Siolim for medical examination. They were then taken to the District Hospital at Mapusa.

After their health assessment, the two were brought to the court.

The court directed that the accused be sent for fresh medical examination. Accordingly, the two were again taken to the District Hospital.

Later, they were produced before Judge Sardesai, who ordered the five-day police custody of the accused.

After the fire tragedy at Arpora village, the Anjuna police had registered a case against the Luthra brothers on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The brothers were arrested in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand. A court there allowed the Goa Police their two-day transit remand.

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The duo had fled to Phuket in Thailand early on December 7, hours after the fire at their nightclub, prompting the authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports.

They were detained by Thai authorities at Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government, which later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations.

Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by the Goa Police in connection with the fire.