BENGALURU: A 45-year-old seer of the Maddavanapura Devaveera Samsthana Mutt was arrested by the Northeast Women police on Monday for allegedly sexually exploiting a 25-year-old woman on the pretext of marriage and threatening to kill her when she asked him to marry her.
The accused is Nanjeshwara Shivacharya Mahaswamiji, alias Dayananda. The mutt is located in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. According to the police, the seer became acquainted with the woman in 2023 after obtaining her mobile number from his family members. They subsequently began communicating through phone calls and messages, and their relationship grew closer. He allegedly promised to marry her.
From 2025 onwards, the seer allegedly switched off the CCTV cameras installed in the mutt on several occasions and took the woman to his room, where he established physical relations with her.
He also allegedly took her on several outings in his car and sexually exploited her. When she later asked him to marry her, he refused. He allegedly abused her in vulgar language and threatened to kill her if she disclosed the matter to anyone.
In April, the woman approached Jagadish, the seer’s brother, and informed him. Jagadish allegedly told her that his brother would not marry her and advised her to either marry someone else or accept the money offered by the family, vacate the house and leave the place. He also allegedly threatened to kill her if she did not comply.
Based on the woman’s complaint, the police registered a case against the seer and Jagadish. The police have also issued a notice to Jagadish, directing him to appear before them for questioning.