In another twist in the godman bobbiting case, the Crime Branch has detained the boyfriend of the law student, who allegedly chopped off the genitals of godman Sreehari aka Swami Gangeshananda in Thiruvananthapuram last month.
Ayyappadas was taken into custody by a Crime Branch team, led by IG S Sreejith, from Kottarakkara on Wednesday. According to reports, he would now be brought to Thiruvananthapuram for questioning.
Godman case: Court rejects plea for CBI probe, raps woman for retracting statements
Ayyappadas had earlier filed a habeas corpus petition in the Kerala High Court, stating that the woman was illegally detained. However, the plea was withdrawn after the police informed the court that the woman was not under any house arrest but is living with her family at a rented house at Nedumangad.
In his habeas corpus petition, Ayyappadas had claimed that he and the victim have been in love for more than a year and he used to visit her house occasionally. He also alleged the girl was taken away forcibly from her house as a result of a criminal conspiracy hatched by people close to the godman.
Bobbiting case: Woman visits godman in hospital, turns against boyfriend [Video]
The controversial case, which grabbed national headlines, has undergone a few twists and turns since the incident took place in Thiruvananthapuram on May 18.
The woman had initially told the police that she cut off the godman's genitals when he made sexual advances towards her. She also alleged that Sreehari had been misbehaving with her ever since she was minor, following which the trial was handed over to the POCSO court.
She retracted her statement last week, claiming the godman never misbehaved with her and that she was forced to implicate him in the case. The victim then sensationally turned against her alleged boyfriend Ayyappadas and filed a police complaint accusing him of sexually abusing her for years. She also visited Sreehari at the hospital.