Bengaluru: BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa's personal assistant N.R. Santosh, who was named as the prime suspect in an attempt to kidnap Vinay Bidre, the personal assistant of BJP leader K.S. Eshwarappa, finally got an anticipatory bail on Saturday.
The 62nd sessions court judge justice S.M. Chikorde who heard Santosh's bail plea, granted anticipatory bail to him on condition that he should appear before the investigating officer within 30 days.
Justice Chikorde directed Santosh to cooperate with the investigation and not leave Bengaluru until the investigation is over. Earlier on July 25, Santosh's bail plea was objected by the public prosecutor S.M. Nagappa, who argued that Santosh, "Who is the prime accused in the kidnapping attempt of Bidre is yet to be interrogated by the police."
According to police investigating the attempt to kidnap case of Bidre, Santosh is the prime suspect on whose instruction the attempt was carried out on May 10. All the arrested suspects Prashanth, Kishore, Selvam, Aiyappa and Aravind and co-accused Rajendra Urs - the city BJP Yuva Morcha general secretary - who secured bail recently, have named Santosh during interrogation. The kidnap attempt was allegedly planned to snatch a 'CD' from Bidre, which contained some crucial videos.
Earlier, the Mahalakshmi Layout police had issued a lookout notice for Santosh when he did not turn up before the investigating officers on July 17, despite having issued a summon notice. Following this, Santosh had approached the court for an anticipatory bail.
