UNI
Kochi, Jul 25: Sacked Sabarimala Ayyappa temple tantri (priest) Kandararu Mohanararu, embroiled in an alleged sex scandal, has filed a fresh complaint with the police in Kochi, retracting the earlier version of the complaint that he was abducted and forcibly taken to a flat, where he was robbed and photographed with a woman.
In his revised complaint filed with the Ernakulam Town Central Police on Monday night, the tantri said he had gone to the flat at Valanjambalam on his own on Sunday night to pick up a maidservant.
However, while he was there, six men barged into the house and photographed him with a woman, who was present there with the maidservant.
He termed the whole episode as a conspiracy against him.
Deputy inspector general of police K Padmakumar said that the police were trying to track down the six men who allegedly entered the house.
No arrests had been made so far in the case, he said.
Padmakumar said the two women were questioned by the police on Monday. There had been no interrogation of the tantri, who had come in person to the central police circle inspector's office to give the second complaint.
Police received some details of the six men from the two women and the watchman of the building where the apartment was located. They were also trying to ascertain whether the woman had any role in the incident.
In his earlier complaint filed with the special branch on Sunday night, the tantri alleged that he had been waylaid and abducted by a group of people on that night and forcibly taken to the flat in Valanjambalam, where he was robbed of 40 sovereigns of gold and photographed with a woman.
Deputy inspector general K Padmakumar on Monday said they had found the complaint to be a false one after thorough investigation. He said the tantri had visited the flat on his own and had in fact visited the apartment on 20 earlier occasions.
The police had arrested the woman in question a few months ago under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act.
Following this charge of impropriety against the priest, the Travancore Devaswom Board divested tantri Kadararu Mohanraru of his responsibilities at the Sabarimala temple.
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