BENGALURU: A 39-year-old priest of a temple in Hassan, who allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman on the pretext of performing certain rituals to solve her personal problems, was arrested by Bagalagunte police.
The accused was identified as Dayanand (39), a resident of Arasikere in Hassan district, and a priest at the Adhishakthi Puradamma temple near Shanthinagar in Hassan.
Police said the woman often visited the Puradamma temple to perform puja, and came in contact with the accused priest in April. She had some personal problems which she shared with Dayanand, and the latter told her they could be solved by performing certain rituals. The woman agreed.
On July 24, Dayananda came to HSR Layout in Bengaluru where the woman was staying in a paying guest accommodation. He told her that he would giver her a talisman. So she went to Arasikere.
Later, he told her that he would drop her off at her PG and took her to Mysuru Road, where he allegedly raped her in the car. He threatened the woman, saying if she told anyone, he would share her pictures on social media and took Rs 40,000 from her.
On July 26, Dayanand came to Electronic City, where the woman works, and forcibly took her to a lodge near Majestic. He raped her twice, made a video, and threatened her. He also extorted Rs 86,000. “Based on the woman’s complaint on July 29, the accused was arrested from Arasikere on Tuesday,” the police said.