Bengaluru, August 20, 2026 — The Karnataka government has constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe a criminal case registered at Tavarekere Police Station in Bengaluru South District, along with related cases that may be filed at other police stations across the state.
The case — Crime No. 266/2026 — was registered under Sections 276 and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 51 and 63 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1957 (as amended in 1984 and 1994). The involvement of drug-law provisions alongside the criminal code sections suggests the case relates to alleged offences involving cheating and the illegal manufacture, sale, or distribution of drugs/cosmetics.
The move follows a letter dated August 19, 2026 (No. C&SU-1/80/2026) from the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP), Karnataka, recommending that a comprehensive investigation into the case be entrusted to a dedicated SIT under the supervision of the Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order), Bengaluru. The DG&IGP also proposed that the SIT be notified as a police station with statewide jurisdiction under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
Acting on this recommendation, the state government issued Government Order No. HD 204 SDD 2026 on August 20, 2026, formally constituting the SIT.
The team comprises:
- C. Vamshikrishna, IPS — Joint Commissioner of Police, West, Bengaluru City (Head)
- Shiva Prakash Devaraju, IPS — Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru (Member)
- Lokesh B. Jagalasar, IPS — Superintendent of Police, CID, Bengaluru (Member)
- Manjunatha Reddy — Assistant Drugs Controller, Bengaluru (Member)
- Namrata Halloor — Assistant Drugs Controller, Bengaluru South District (Member)
- Neha Murgi — Drugs Inspector, Bengaluru South District (Member)
Under the order, the SIT has been notified as a police station with jurisdiction across the entire state of Karnataka, pursuant to Section 2(1)(o) of the BNSS, 2023. Investigating officers attached to the SIT have been vested with powers under Section 193 of the BNSS to file police reports (chargesheets) directly before the competent courts.
The DG&IGP has also been authorized to transfer to the SIT any other related criminal cases registered at police stations elsewhere in Karnataka, and to provide the team with additional officers and staff as required. The SIT will draw on resources available at the offices of the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner and the Bengaluru South District Police.
The team will function under the overall supervision of the Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order), Police Headquarters, Bengaluru, and will submit periodic progress reports to the DGP and IGP through that office.
