Nithyananda ‘blesses’ CID’s new air-conditioned lock-up🔗

Sleuths usually do pujas at lock-ups to ward off evil and prevent custodial deaths, but this guest came even before a formal opening

DEBI PRASAD SARANGI

Swamy Nithyananda has poured water on the CID sleuths' plans to perform a puja at their newly constructed lock-up to ward off tragic incidents like custodial deaths. After a magistrate in Ramanagaram on Thursday gave the investigating agency custody of the swamiji for four days for interrogation, the sleuths had no choice but to put him in one of the newly-constructed lock-up cells at their Palace Road office.

The agency had no lock-up in its premises and used to keep the arrested persons in nearby police stations for safe custody. It was only recently that they got two air-conditioned lock-ups ready at their Carlton House headquarters on Palace Road.

Nithyananda, of course, is not getting any special treatment here, for the air-conditioner in his cell is no luxury, but a necessity; it is located in a dingy cellar portion of the CID Annexe building. The level of suffocation here is so high that there is a risk of detainees choking to death.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as well as the Cyber Crime Police which operates from the former's headquarters, had always felt the lack of lock-ups as a handicap. To overcome this, the CID top-brass had recently prepared a proposal and sent it to the government, which, in turn, approved setting up of two cells - one for men and one for women - and sanctioned Rs 20 lakh for the purpose.

Cops across the country conduct puja at newly constructed lock-ups, as they believe this would ward off evil forces and prevent custody deaths and related consequences.

The new cells, located below the Cyber Crime Police Station, have attached toilets and provision for a guard to sit near its entrance. There is no cot or other luxuries in the cell. Beds will be provided only during the night.

IN CUSTODY: Swami Nithyananda (R) being taken to Ramanagaram Government Hospital for a medical check-up on Thursday night

BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU

Tamil film actress Ranjitha, caught in a steamy video with Swamy Nithyananda, will be summoned by the CID to record her statement after the investigating officers are done with interrogating the disgraced Swamy. The godman will be in CID custody till Monday. Though Ranjitha is learnt to have admitted to her role in the video, her statement is required for the purpose of the CID's investigation.

On Friday, CID officials headed by DIG Charan Reddy and Superintendent of Police Yogappa interrogated Nithyananda from 11 am till late in the evening.

According to CID sources, Nithyananda was asked about his personal life and how he became a godman. "We asked questions about his family background, educational qualifications, his previous work before he became a godman, etc. We also asked him about his ashrams across the world, and he said he has 14 ashrams of which two are in the US. He said some of the ashrams, including their land, belong to him while others have been taken on rent. We asked him what made him run away from his ashram in the name of 'spiritual seclusion', and whether he was simply trying to evade arrest, to which he said he had gone to Haridwar to attend the Kumbh Mela. We need to know under what circumstances he fled to Himachal Pradesh," the sources said.

The CID officials have sent the seized laptops, hard disks, mobile phones and pen drives to the Central Forensic Laboratory in Hyderabad to have their contents examined.

During the interrogation, Nithyananda, who has been allowed food of his choice, preferred to have dry fruits. According to the sources, he co-operated with his interrogators. He was allowed a half-hour break around 2 pm.