Karnataka Government sanctions cash reward for police personnel involved in Prajwal Revanna rape probe

The government order noted that it “considered the said cases as a special case only for one time, delegating the financial authority to the DG & IGP.”

Former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna was sentenced to life imprisonment after an investigation by the Karnataka Police’s SIT established the rape case through a combination of scientific, digital and forensic evidence, despite the alleged destruction of the iPhone used to record the sexual assault.

The SIT authenticated the explicit videos using forensic video analysis, voice sample examination and image superimposition, matching the footage with the farmhouse where the crime took place. DNA evidence, including hair follicles and biological traces recovered from the victim’s clothing, further corroborated the survivor’s account.

The investigation also relied on data obtained from Revanna’s Apple phone, corroborative witness statements and forensic reports to demonstrate that the videos were recorded on the device. The court accepted the prosecution’s submission that the device had been deliberately destroyed to eliminate evidence, leading to an additional conviction for destruction of evidence.

Observing that the videos were neither edited nor morphed, the court noted that the SIT’s rigorous and methodical use of scientific techniques proved the offences beyond a reasonable doubt.

The government also sanctioned Rs 10.02 lakh as a cash reward for 83 police officers and staff for their role in solving a bank robbery under the Nyamati Police Station limits in Davangere district.

The personnel were lauded for arresting the accused and recovering nearly all the gold stolen from the State Bank of India branch. Investigators recovered around 17 kg of gold ornaments, valued at approximately Rs 13 crore, which had been taken from locked strongroom lockers during the October 2024 heist. A significant portion of the stolen gold was later found hidden in a remote well in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, following an extensive investigation and the arrest of the culprits in March 2025.