The Bengaluru police Saturday arrested a 43-year-old film producer and real estate developer at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) for allegedly stalking and harassing a 34-year-old Kannada actress.
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The accused, Aravind Venkatesh Reddy, was the owner of the Bellary Tuskers franchise in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) cricket tournament, which was later dissolved due to allegations of match-fixing and spot-fixing.
Reddy was arrested after a lookout notice was issued against him. Upon his arrival from Sri Lanka, he was taken into police custody.
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According to the complaint by the actress, who has acted in nine films and also participated in the Kannada Bigg Boss reality show, she met him in 2023 after she was invited for a cricket tournament in Sri Lanka. According to Reddy, they were in a live-in relationship.
The actress claimed that she ended the relationship due to Reddy’s alleged abusive behaviour, frequent drinking and harassment. However, he allegedly refused to accept the breakup and initiated a campaign of intimidation against her and her family.
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According to the woman, Reddy shared her morphed photos online and sent men to threaten her parents that her brother would be killed. He also allegedly attempted to coerce her into continuing the relationship.
The woman filed a complaint at a local police station on September 17. However, after being released, Reddy claimed that he was in a relationship with the woman and had given her a Porsche car on the first anniversary of their meeting.
“While she was in a relationship with me, she was also dating another man, and later, we parted ways. I do not want to comment, but will seek justice through the court,” he said.
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Meanwhile, the woman countered him on Sunday, saying that she was not in any relationship with Reddy.
Reddy first came under police scrutiny after being questioned by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bengaluru regarding the match-fixing scandal in the KPL. He was also a co-owner of the Karnataka Tuskers team that participated in the third season of the Abu Dhabi T10 competition, approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
C M Gautam, captain of Bellary Tuskers in the 2019 KPL T20 tournament, was accused of batting slowly in the final, which led to his team’s loss. He was arrested later.