Kunigal seer arrested under POCSO Act for sexually abusing minor over 4 years

TUMAKURU: The seer of the Vidya Chowdeshwari temple at Hangaranahalli in Kunigal taluk, Bala Manjunatha Swami, along with temple trustee K Abhilash, has been arrested under the POCSO Act for allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor over the last four years.

Bala Manjunatha Swami and Abhilash were arrested on Thursday night by the Huliyurdurga police and were brought to the Kunigal Deputy SP’s office on Friday before being produced before a court. The arrest follows information from a person who was earlier accused by the religious leader of blackmail.

On February 10, the seer, through the temple trustee Abhilash, had lodged a complaint against his former assistant Abhishek and five others of blackmailing him with a sensitive video and extorting money from him. The seer had claimed that he had developed skin infection in his private parts and that Abhishek and the others were using a video related to that episode to blackmail him.

The police, led by SP K V Ashok, arrested the seer on Thursday night.

The seer had claimed that Abhishek had introduced him to a woman claiming to be a doctor, but as he was hesitant to discuss about the skin infection with her, he first sent her a photograph following which a video call was made. Abhishek and the others had recorded the video call and were using it to blackmail him, the seer had alleged and named H S Abhishek of Hosakere, a woman from Bengaluru, Rajesh of Vijayakali temple near Pandavapura, Srinivas, Chetan from Kavanapura and Nandish from Kunigal.

When police questioned Abhishek about the blackmail, he revealed about the sexual assault on a minor, following which the seer was arrested.