Notorious sex trafficker ‘Santro’ Ravi, who is in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Karnataka, has been hospitalised for health complications after allegedly attempting suicide. KS Manjunath alias ‘Santro’ Ravi, who is alleged to have close links with top leaders of the ruling BJP in the state, is now stable. He was taken to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru for treatment.
While he was arrested several times in the past on charges of human trafficking, Ravi recently came under the scanner again recently. A Dalit woman filed a complaint with the Mysuru police who accused him of dowry harassment, rape and physical assault. The police had formed six teams to locate Ravi, who was absconding, and teams were sent to neighbouring states including Telangana and Kerala. He was finally arrested in Ahmedabad on January 13.
The BJP has come under flak after the opposition alleged that they helped Ravi escape from the police. Recently, pictures of him with various state ministers surfaced. Ravi is seen with Home Minister Araga Jnanedra, Health Minister K Sudhakar and Primary Education Minister BC Nagesh, among others. Audio clips also surfaced in which Ravi was heard bragging about his connections with the BJP and the state police. On January 16, the Karnataka government handed over the case to the CID.