There's no let-up in detentions over the August 11 riots. A total of 309 people were arrested until Sunday night as police widened the investigation into the city's worst riots in two decades.
The arrests were made by both the Central Crime Branch (CCB) and the eastern division police, a senior police officer who's part of the investigation told DH. The eastern division police alone made 264 arrests.
Police also registered five more FIRs on Sunday, taking the total to 52. Thirty-eight FIRs were registered at the DJ Halli police station and the rest by the KG Halli police station, said S D Sharanappa, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East).
A senior police officer said that initially, both the CCB and the eastern division police worked in tandem to conduct raids and make arrests. "But now, we are making arrests on our own," the officer added.
According to the officer, the arrests are being made on the basis of preliminary evidence and people found innocent are being let off.
Sharanappa said the number of arrests and FIRs could rise further as the riots were still being investigated. "We cannot tell the final numbers," he said and dismissed the accusation that the police are picking up innocent people.
Since the riots broke out during protests against an offensive Facebook post, police are also focusing on collecting documentary and digital evidence to decode the conspiracy and the planning behind the riots.
Sharanappa said six teams of cybercrime and forensic experts were reviewing CCTV footage, mobile phone tower location and other technical evidence. Some arrests were made on the basis of digital evidence, he added.
Another senior officer claimed that only people suspected to have been involved in the conspiracy and instigating the mob are being questioned in custody while the rest are being sent to judicial custody.
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