Police in India have arrested a lawmaker accused of sexually abusing multiple women after he fled the country.
Prajwal Revanna, who left India on April 27, was apprehended upon his return from Germany in the southern city of Bengaluru early on Friday.
Revanna has denied all allegations against him.
The 33-year-old MP is a member of the Janata Dal (Secular) party, an ally of PM Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
Revanna, from an influential political family, is seeking re-election from the Hassan constituency in Karnataka.
Shortly before the voting in Hassan, thousands of USB sticks containing videos allegedly showing Revanna abusing women circulated in Karnataka, causing public outrage.
Revanna did not comment on the videos, but an official from his office claimed they had been doctored.
He fled the country shortly after voting ended in his constituency.
Reports indicate that three cases of sexual assault have been registered against the MP.
A special police team, established by Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah, is investigating the cases.
On May 18, a special court issued an arrest warrant for Revanna, following an application by the special investigation team (SIT).
Days before his arrest, Revanna applied for anticipatory bail, but a court rejected his plea on Thursday.
After remaining missing for several weeks, Revanna released a video on May 27 stating that he would appear before the SIT on Friday.
The video was released shortly after his grandfather, former Indian prime minister HD Deve Gowda, urged him to return to India and face the investigation.
Revanna’s father, HD Revanna, and uncle, HD Kumaraswamy, are both influential legislators in the Karnataka state assembly.
HD Revanna is also accused of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation in a police complaint lodged by a former employee of the family. He was arrested for six days but was released on bail last month. He has denied the allegations, calling them a political conspiracy.
