Two Congress workers, 3 students held over PayCM posters

The police on Thursday arrested five people, including two men working in the state Congress’ social media wing, for putting up the PayCM posters in various parts of the city.

The head of the opposition party’s social media wing was also questioned over what Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has described as an “attempt to tarnish my image”.

High Grounds police made the arrests under the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement Act, 1981), the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, and IPC Section 290 (public nuisance) based on a complaint filed by B V Veena, assistant revenue officer (Vasanthanagar subdivision), BBMP.

The PayCM posters, which appeared on compound walls in the CBD and parts of North Bengaluru in the early hours of Wednesday, contained a QR code and Bommai’s
photograph.

When scanned, the QR code took the user to www.40percentsarkara.com, a website launched by Congress to expose corruption in the government. The posters drew widespread attention and embarrassed Bommai, who promised police action against those behind them.

Police have filed a total of six cases regarding the posters: two at High Grounds and one each in Seshadripuram, Sadashivanagar, JC Nagar and Sanjaynagar.

The arrests have so far been made only in the High Grounds cases.

According to sources, the arrested suspects are Kalakaiah Swamy alias Sanjay, 23, and Vishwamurthy K,
33.

Both are residents of Laggere and work in the social media wing at the Congress office.

The other arrested suspects are Madan Kumar, Siddaiah and Vinod Kumar V, all students, who pasted the posters under the supervision of Swamy and Vishwamurthy, the sources added.

A team led by High Grounds police inspector C B Shivaswamy picked up Swamy and Vishwamurthy around noon on Thursday.

The students were apprehended near the Laggere bridge three hours later. All of them will be presented before a magistrate, a senior police officer said.

Police also questioned B R Naidu, chairperson of the state Congress’ social media wing, besides party workers Pavan and Gagan. Police have asked them to appear for questioning when required.

R Srinivas Gowda, deputy commissioner of police (central) who personally supervised the questioning of the suspects, said: “We have arrested five people and questioned three others. Notices have been served on them to appear before the investigating officer and cooperate in the investigation.”