CID searches Nithya's ashram🔗

Soumya Menon. BANGALORE

A team of officers from the criminal investigation department searched the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam ashram at Bidadi in Ramanagaram, and seized documents and other evidence.

The ashram was the headquarters of the tainted self-styled godman, Nithyananda Paramahamsa, alias Rajashekaran, who has been declared an absconder.

"The documents have to be scrutinised and verified. We have also recorded statements of ashram members. There are very few people at the ashram, since most of the inmates had returned to their homes," an officer involved in the search operations said. The search was carried out over Monday and Tuesday.

The officer said that complaints against the absconding swami had been trickling in. "One person from Karnataka claimed that he had approached the godman a year ago with a skin ailment. The godman promised to cure the ailment and took Rs50,000 from him. But, the man never got rid of the problem and he is still suffering. Most complaints are pertaining to cheating and hurting religious sentiments. There are no complaints of sexual abuse," the officer said.

In a related development, the CID also received a complaint and documents from a US national, Douglas McKellor, who had earlier lodged a complaint against the godman with the Cal-

The state government, on Tuesday, requested the high court of Karnataka to provide more time to probe the cases against Nithyananda.

After hearing the government, justice Arali Nagaraj posted the matter to Thursday.

The government submitted before the court that the investigation into the allegation against Nithyananda, petitioner, was in its initial stage. It also submitted that more persons needed to be examined.

The petitioner had not denied that the person depicted on the video tape was him, the state told the

court. The court also heard that a person, Alagon, committed suicide at the ashram on December 29 last year. -ODEAL D'SOUZA

ifornia State Attorney General. He sent a letter he had written to Nithyananda in 2008, holding him responsible for his wife deserting him.

McKellor's former wife, Shamala alias Maa Nithya Prabha, was a devotee of Nithyananda. In his mail, he requested the CID to ensure her safety. He also accused Nithyananda of unnatural sex, fraud, financial irregularities and physical abuse of devotees in the US.

"This case is not in our jurisdiction. But, it will help us investigate cases in Karnataka, as the information is useful. We have submitted all the documents to the high court and the hearing has been scheduled for April 8," the officer said.

Meanwhile, the CID recorded the statement of K Lenin, who lodged a complaint against Nithyananda in Chennai. The CID had earlier claimed that Lenin was not traceable. It was now learnt that a CID team visited Lenin at an undisclosed location in Chennai to record his statement. The officer said he cooperated with the investigators.

The case, initially filed by Chennai police, was transferred to Karnataka, since the incidents alleged in the complaint reportedly took place in Nithyananda's ashram in Bidadi. [email protected]

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