Elusive Sampath Raj using new SIM: CCB

There’s no sign of former mayor R Sampath Raj, who is said to have absconded from a private hospital where he was admitted after testing positive for Covid-19. Raj, a Congress politician, is an accused in the riots that rocked East Bengaluru on August 11.

Raj, who represented DJ Halli, is accused of orchestrating an arson attack on the residence of Pulakeshinagar MLA, R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy. Violent protesters had burnt Murthy’s house in Kaval Byrasandra after his nephew, P Naveen, allegedly uploaded an offensive Facebook post about Prophet Muhammad.

Raj was questioned by the CCB after it found that his nephew and personal assistant, Arun Raj, had rung up some of the protesters during the mob attack. The former mayor was also named in the charge sheet but the CCB stopped short of arresting him after he tested positive for Covid-19. He also moved a local court for anticipatory bail. But on October 30, he allegedly vanished from the hospital, which failed to inform the police.

“His disappearance after discharge from the hospital is a serious matter,” a CCB officer said. Raj is using a new SIM, which the CCB is trying to trace. “We have information about his presence in Bengaluru and the adjoining districts. Our teams are looking out for him there. We’ll arrest him soon,” he said.