Ex-Bigg Boss contestants in soup over ‘weapon’ used in Instagram reel

Bengaluru: Bengaluru police have intensified investigations on two former contestants of Kannada reality show Bigg Boss after finding disparities in the evidence recovered.

The FIR was registered by the Basaveshwara Nagar police on March 20 against Rajath Kishan and Vinay Gowda. The case was regarding the two uploading a reel on Instagram and brandishing a machete.

The two were issued notices and released late Monday night after they submitted the ‘machete’ used in the video to the police. According to police, it appeared to be made of fibre and looked like a prop used in movies.

However, police later discovered, after being pointed out by the media, that the machete used by the two suspects in the Instagram video was different from the one recovered by the investigators.

There were visible differences between the two machetes near the handle and the shape also differed. The one used in the video also looked a bit rusted, while the other was shiny and appeared polished.

On Tuesday, the two suspects were detained by the Basaveshwara Nagar police for further investigation. They were taken to a studio in Nagarabhavi for the mahazar procedure.

"Investigations are underway and the arrest procedure will be initiated by Wednesday," a senior police officer told DH. “No further recoveries were made on Tuesday."

Police will send the seized machete for forensic examination.

Senior officers said that in case the suspects tried to misguide the police by producing false evidence, they would be booked for evidence destruction.

The suo motu FIR was registered based on the complaint by the police officer in charge of the Basaveshwara Nagar station’s social media monitoring cell.

In the FIR, the officer noted that the 18-second reel was uploaded on Instagram under the handle “bujjjjii”. It showed Kishan and Gowda holding a machete, posing for the camera and walking in public.

By engaging in such acts, the duo created an "environment of fear and disrupted peace in the public", the FIR notes.

The Basaveshwara Nagar police booked the duo under Section 270 (public nuisance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant provisions of the Arms Act.