Indian MP arrested in sex abuse case upon return to country

Indian police have arrested a lawmaker who fled the country after being accused of sexually abusing several women.

Prajwal Revanna, who left India on April 27, was arrested on Friday morning upon his arrival from Germany in the southern city of Bangalore (formerly Bangalore).

Mr Revanna has denied all allegations made against him.

The 33-year-old MP belongs to the Janata Dal (secular) party, an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

Mr. Revanna, who belongs to an influential political family, is seeking re-election from Hassan constituency in the southern state of Karnataka.

But shortly before the vote in Hassan, thousands of USB drives containing videos of the MP allegedly abusing women were circulated in Karnataka, sparking outrage.

Mr. Revanna has not commented on the videos, but an official in his office said the videos had been doctored.

He fled the country shortly after voting ended in his constituency.

Reports indicate that the police have registered three cases of sexual assault against the MP so far.

A special police team set up by Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah is investigating the cases.

On May 18, a special court had issued an arrest warrant against Mr. Revanna, following an application by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Days before his arrest, Mr. Revanna had applied for anticipatory bail, but a court rejected his request on Thursday.

After being missing for several weeks, Mr. Revanna released a video on May 27 in which he said he would appear before the SIT on Friday.

The video was released shortly after his grandfather, former Indian Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, asked him to return to India and face the investigation.

Mr. Revanna's father HD Revanna and his 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 filed by a former employee of the family. He was arrested for six days but released on bail last month. He also denied the allegations, calling them a political conspiracy.