Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Munirathna, arrested in a rape case on Friday, soon after his release on bail in another case, was sent to judicial custody for 14 days on Saturday. Munirathna faces allegations of repeated rape and sexual assault made by a 40-year-old woman. The woman filed a complaint on Wednesday, September 19, accusing Munirathna of sexually assaulting her multiple times between 2020 and 2022.
The First Information Report (FIR) registered by Ramanagara police names six others—Vijay Kumar, Sudhakar, Kiran Kumar, Lohith Gowda, Manjunatha, and Loki—allegedly involved in assisting Munirathna’s criminal conspiracies.
According to the FIR, Munirathna first contacted the complainant after learning that she had supplied over 5,000 masks through a former corporator during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following their initial meeting, he began messaging and calling her on WhatsApp. He also made over 10 video calls in one day, during which he allegedly asked her for a “nude call,” which she refused. He later asked her to visit his godown, where he allegedly attempted to hug her and made inappropriate advances, stating that such actions were “common if you want to join politics.” When the woman resisted, Munirathna allegedly threatened to file a (fake) case against her and subsequently raped her.
The complaint further states that Munirathna recorded the assault and used the videos to blackmail her, threatening to release the footage publicly. The complainant alleged that he showed these videos on a television screen, demanding her compliance in exchange for deleting the video.
The FIR also details other disturbing incidents, including allegations that Munirathna forced the complainant to engage in sexual activities with the husband of a former corporator, and record the encounters. He allegedly monitored the acts live and stored the recordings. When the complainant tried to sever ties and requested Munirathna to delete the videos, he threatened to expose the footage to her family, the FIR read.
In another instance, Munirathna allegedly coerced the complainant into facilitating a meeting between another woman and the former corporator's husband, only to later reveal that the woman sent to him was HIV-positive. He then pressured the complainant to connect a similar patient with the former corporator’s son, a demand she declined before cutting off contact.
During the Karnataka Assembly elections last year, Munirathna allegedly used the explicit videos to blackmail the complainant and get sexually involved with another man named Ganganna. The complainant met Munirathna again, pleading for the deletion of the videos. He allegedly agreed but only on the condition of her participation in yet another “operation”.
The complaint outlines that Munirathna orchestrated an “operation” to defame another woman who had threatened his relatives. The complainant was allegedly directed to befriend the the woman Ramya*, capture her videos through hidden cameras, and provide Munirathna with the footage.
During one such trip, a man named Kiran, his friends Lohit Gowda (Loki) and Manjunath (Manga), joined along with complainant’s friend and Ramya*. “We all went as couples, and cameras were fixed in the room, according to the FIR. The recordings included everyone swimming in a resort and and changing clothes.
But that wasn’t it. On another such trip, the complainant mixed sleeping tablets into ORS and made Ramya drink it. Then, Loki, Kiran, and Manju took “obscene videos and photos with her.” As per Munirathna’s directions, his gunman Vijay Kumar also allegedly planted narcotics in her bag.
The police have charged Munirathna under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 376 (repeated rape), 354 (sexual harassment), 354(C) (voyeurism), 506 (criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy). Other charges against him include, Section 149 (unlawful assembly with a common criminal intent), 384 (extortion), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), along with sections 66 (Computer Related Offences) and 66 (e) (intentionally or knowingly captures, publishes or transmits the image of a private area of any person without his or her consent) of the Information Technology Act.
Munirathna represents Bengaluru’s Rajarajeshwarinagar Nagar constituency. He had received bail from a special court on Thursday after he was arrested for allegedly threatening a civic contractor, making casteist remarks and demanding a bribe from him.