'Santro' Ravi remanded in judicial custody: Karnataka Police

Mysuru, Jan 14: K S Manjunath, alias 'Santro' Ravi', accused of being the kingpin in human trafficking along with having links to politicians and meddling in police transfers, has been remanded in judicial custody, police said on Saturday.

'Santro' Ravi, and two others - Ramji and Satish - were arrested by Karnataka police at Ahmedabad in Gujarat on Friday, and they were brought here earlier on Saturday.

"'Santro Ravi' and two others arrested along with him in Ahmedabad yesterday were produced before the judge of a city court here, who remanded them to 14 days judicial custody," police said.

Ravi (51) has been arrested in connection with a case filed by his wife in Mysuru alleging she was drugged, raped and forced into marriage in 2019. He was subjected to medical tests and preliminary inquiry by the police, earlier today, before he was produced before the judge.

"We have got him here early this morning. We have got him examined medically. Now, procedures and basic inquiry is on...leaving the travelling time, we will have to produce him within 24 hours before the judge," Mysuru Police Commissioner Ramesh Bhanot had said earlier in the day.

Allegations and cases against him had created a flutter in political circles for the last couple of weeks, with the opposition parties releasing photographs and accusing ruling BJP leaders of hobnobbing with him. Also, audio clips of Ravi bragging of his proximity to the government and police officials were doing the rounds.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai ordered a probe and had said that even politicians from opposition parties had links with him. Police have said all other cases he is linked to or are pending against him, including political, would be looked into in the days to come after investigating the case in which he is arrested.