Karnataka’s cybercrime police have registered a fresh case against Hindutva activist and murder accused Puneet Kerehalli. The action comes in response to Kerehalli allegedly making false and inflammatory claims against senior police officials, including the state’s Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) M.A. Salim, accusing them of owning “benami” property and sheltering “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.”

According to police, the case was filed after Bengaluru City Police’s social media monitoring team received a viral video on 23 January 2026. The video shows Kerehalli, along with some associates, visiting the residence of Sakina Tasleem in Soladevanahalli. In the footage, Kerehalli not only alleged that the property belonged to DG&IGP Salim as a “benami” asset but also claimed that illegal Bangladeshi nationals were residing there. He recorded the visit live and shared the video on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Police have registered the FIR against the accused under Section 66C of the Information Technology Act (identity theft) and Sections 196 (promoting enmity between groups), 353(1)(b), and 197(1)(c) of the Indian Penal Code. These sections cover charges including inciting public unrest and making statements against national integrity.

This is the third case registered against Puneet Kerehalli this month. Earlier, on 16 January, Bengaluru police had arrested him for allegedly trespassing into homes and labeling residents as “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.”

Kerehalli already faces multiple serious criminal charges and has not been acquitted of murder allegations. Despite this, he has continued to make inflammatory statements on social media.

Police emphasized that such dissemination of false information can disturb social harmony and public order, and therefore strict action is being taken.