India, Nov. 1 -- A mobile phone allegedly bought on the instructions of a Janata Dal (Secular) social media operative was taken to Union minister HD Kumaraswamy's official residence in New Delhi and handed to another aide, Bengaluru police commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said on Sunday.

The phone is suspected to have been used to upload a video targeting former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah. Police are examining the account of an arrested accused, Ritesh Pandey, to establish who arranged the purchase and how the device was used to circulate the footage.

Pandey, a Delhi-based freelance social media content creator, was arrested on October 24 and subsequently granted conditional bail by a Bengaluru court.

Singh said Pandey had t...