Three individuals have been arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of Basavalingeshwara Swami — the top pontiff of the Kanchugal Bandemutt in Ramanagara district of Karnataka — a senior police officer mentioned on Sunday, including that they have been blackmailing him.
Ramanagara district superintendent of police Ok Santosh Babu recognized the three accused as Mrutyunjaya Swami of the Kannur mutt; a feminine engineering scholar from Doddaballapura; and Kannur mutt’s advocate Mahadevaiah.
The Kudur police booked the three on Sunday beneath IPC 306 (Abetment of suicide) and 34 (conspiracy), and produced the accused earlier than an area court docket in Ramanagara, which despatched them to judicial custody for 14 days.
Basavalingeshwara Swami was discovered useless in a room in his monastery on Monday final week. Police had recovered a three-page purported suicide be aware and registered a case of unnatural loss of life on the Kudur police station. They didn’t reveal the contents of the purported suicide be aware. The cell phones utilized by the seer have been despatched to the forensic sciences laboratory (FSL) for examination after mutt officers alleged he was being blackmailed.
SP Babu informed HT on Sunday that that they had unearthed proof that the pontiff was being blackmailed.
‘‘After an intensive investigation, the police staff succeeded in cracking the case and arrested three accused. The accused have been blackmailing the pontiff for cash,” Babu informed HT. He mentioned the plan was hatched in February.
The coed allegedly recorded the movies and despatched them to Mrutyunjaya Swami and later Mahadevaiah circulated the movies to different pontiffs after Basavalingeshwara Swami didn’t yield to blackmail, mentioned one other police officer aware about the case, asking to not be named.
“Kannur pontiff Mrutyunjaya Swami and deceased Basavalinga Swami have been cousins earlier than turning into seers. Each had a number of property litigation. The Kannur Pontiff hatched a plan to oust Swamiji because of jealousy and revenge by this conspiracy,” mentioned the officer.
A 3rd police officer who was a part of the investigation staff informed HT that the movies could have been recorded in April 2021. The deceased clearly talked about the identify of the Kannur mutt pontiff within the suicide be aware, mentioned the officer, additionally asking to not be named.
A mutt official who didn’t want to be recognized had alleged on Wednesday final week that the pontiff was being blackmailed for entry to properties of the mutt, estimated to be value ₹50 crore.
In the meantime, a 3rd video of the seer’s name with the girl surfaced on social media on Saturday. Two movies had been leaked earlier.