Swami Nithyananda who was arrested with his disciples Sri Nithya Santanananda, and Gopal Shailesh Reddy in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday by a joint team of Karnataka and Himchal Police had three laptops containing eight porn videos, three video cameras, eight cellphones, 11 sim cards and a large amount of cash with him, police said.
Three laptops, Rs 30 lakh in cash $ 7,000 (Rs 3,11,885) and some travelers cheques were seized from the men, who were living in a rented house.
Swami Nithyananda who was sent on transit remand, was taken from Shimla on Thursday to Bangalore via Chandigarh and Delhi. The swami wqas staying in a house belonging to Delhi resident Manvendra Singh in Himachal Pradesh.
Nityananda hardly used to come out of the two-bedroomed house. His disciples used to bring essential articles from the market. They were using 11 sim cards on a rotational basis to avoid detection. Nityananda did not change his saffron robes while staying secretly in the house.
It was Nityananda's passion for using cellphones that did him in. Karnataka police had intercepted one of his disciple's cellphone, with whom he used to talk regularly. The police then zeroed in on Himachal's Solan district. Two Karnataka officers of DSP rank came to Solan on April 19 and sought the local CID's assistance.
Nityananda's four discples used to get their sim cards re-charged almost daily by Rs 1,000 each.
Meanwhile, Mid Day reports, quoting ‘insiders' that supporters of Nithyananda, who is confident of securing bail in court, themselves tipped off CID about his Himachal Pradesh hideout.
While police bask in media glare following the arrest of sex swami Nithyananda, insiders in the godman's camp claim the disgraced guru engineered the arrest on advice of his trusted followers.
"Nithyananda was not hiding from the police or the law, it was the public he feared. He has always been reasonably certain that the charges leveled against him are unlikely to stick in court. Now that the public anger has subsided somewhat, the swami tipped the cops. He expects to be granted bail in court," explained a source close to the Swami, reports Mid Day.
Nithyananda had been in hiding for a month since a video of his alleged romp with Tamil actress Ranjitha was broadcast by TV channels across the country.
While the district magistrate on Wednesday quashed Nithyananda's plea for anticipatory bail, the high court will hear a petition that seeks dropping of charges leveled against him.
On Wednesday, Ramnagar Magistrate court quashed Nithyananda's anticipatory bail plea. It is interesting to note that the swami's arrest comes at the heels of the high court's decision to admit a plea filed on his behalf that seeks dropping of charges levied against him.
Sources say that once the high court's admitted his plea, the swami became confident that it would not be difficult for him to secure bail. This is when his supporters are said to have tipped the cops about his Himachal Pradesh hideaway.
Incidentally, a court in Tamil nadu issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against the self style god man in response to a complaint by K Selvamani, an RSS activist under Section 295 (a) of the Indian Penal Code.
In response, Sriperumbudur District Munsif-cum-Judicial Magistrate S Gunasekhar issued directions to Rama Nagar police station in Karnataka, where the god man's Bidadi ashram is located, to execute the warrant irrespective of whether or not he was available at his address.
The swami is believed to have chosen arrest over surrender so he is in the cops' good books. "The godman hopes keeping the police in good humour because he hopes they will cooperate with him at a later stage," explained the source.
Yogappa, superintendent of police, CID (special enquiry), who is heading the investigative team in the case rubbished claims that the swami's associates tipped them.
"Why do you want to discount our efforts? We traced the swami's phone calls so we could locate his hideout.Once we were sure, a team of two deputy superintendents of police flew to Himachal Pradesh and arrested him."
HS Chandramouli, Nityananda's counsel, refused to comment on whether the swami's arrest was stage-managed. "Now that he has been arrested, we are left with no option but to file a bail application. I am certain he will be granted bail."
Swami Nityananda was brought to Bangalore on Thursday from Himachal Pradesh where he was arrested along with his four associates.
Nityananda and his close aide Nitya Bhaktananda alias Seelam Reddy were flown in to Bangalore on Thursday evening amid tight security and were whisked away to Ramanagaram Sessions court, where they are likely to be produced, police told PTI.
Over a month after he was reported absconding after a purported video footage of him in a compromising position with a Tamil actress was aired on local TV channels, Nityananda was arrested yesterday along with four others from the house of a Delhi-based businessman at Solan in Himachal Pradesh.
The 32-year-old 'godman' and Reddy were produced before a local court in Solan on Wednesday and transit warrant secured the same night.
Both Nityananda and his aide are wanted in connection with two cases, registered at Bidadi police station near Bangalore, where his ashram is located.
The Tamil Nadu police had registered various cases under IPC against Nityananda, including that of rape. The cases were later transferred to the Karnataka police.
Soon after his arrest, Nityananda's anticipatory bail application which was pending before the Ramanagaram Sessions Court was dismissed.
A criminal petition filed by Nityananda, praying for quashing of criminal cases against him in Karnataka High Court, is coming up for hearing on Friday .
Swami Nityananda was remanded in four-day police custody by a court in Bangalore on Friday.
Nityananda, after being flown to Bangalore from Himachal Pradesh, was produced before Judicial Magistrate Pushpavati at a special sitting at her residence at Ramanagara, near Bangalore.
Nityananda was brought here along with close aide Nitya Bhaktananda alias Seelam Reddy late in the evening and taken to Ramanagaram Government Hospital for check-up before being produced before the court, police told PTI.
Reddy was also remanded in four-day police custody.
