Godman whistleblower has 2 more CDs

In an exclusive interview to Deccan Herald at an undisclosed location here, Karuppan, also known as Dharmananda, claimed that besides the March 2 video that showed Nithyananda spending some intimate moments with a Tamil actress, he was in possession of two other CD sets whose contents are “equally, if not more explosive.”

Karuppan claimed he had enough evidence of widespread sex acts of Nithyananda with male and female ashramites. “I will furnish them to the police and courts as and when required,” he said emphatically.

Aware of the existence of these CDs, according to Karuppan, Nithyananda was continuously calling him on his cell phone “to negotiate and plead with him not to go public with the other two CDs”.

Deccan Herald has independent confirmation that Nithyananda as well as his secretary in India, Pranananda, have repeatedly called intermediaries to convey to Karuppan not make the videos public.

Team in Chennai

It is learnt that a team of Karnataka police CID officers has been camping in Chennai for the past few days to question Karuppan. The officers have questioned him about the sting operation that he mounted on Nithyananda.

They have also gathered information from him about the one CD that is already in public domain and the two that remain secret.

Karuppan has also shared with them taped telephone conversations in which Nithyananda literally pleaded with him to refrain from going public with explicit footages of his dalliance with women.

Copies of the transcripts of those conversations and letters Nithyananda wrote to Karuppan are available with Deccan Herald.

Explaining the modus operandi of his sting operation, Karuppan said he had planted three cameras at three different locations inside the Bidadi ashram premises, including one in Nithyananda’s bedroom, on December 23, 24, and 25, 2009.

In this operation “I was helped by a 35-year-old woman ashramite. She helped me fix the camera in his bedroom,” Karuppan said, refusing to disclose the name of the woman.
Karuppan removed the memory cards from the three cameras on December 25, 2009, and sometime towards the end of that month, had let slip a phrase to a brahmacharini, saying: “The Dhyanapeetam will soon be like the sinking Titanic”.

Nithyananda later got wind of “something afoot” and on February 14, 2010, he had Pranananda, alias Muruganandan, call up Karuppan several times to the ashram’s VIP room moments before the godman and his group were to leave for Chennai. “At that time, for two-and-a-half hours he cajoled me, asking if anything was wrong. I kept quiet,” Karuppan said.

“I was again summoned by Pranananda to meet the swami on February 18 when we were at Coimbatore en route to Salem for the inauguration of an ashram. At Seeragapadi near Salem, Nithyananda charged me with possessing some CDs. He later slapped me and tried to strangle me,” Karuppan said, adding: “He said he would kill me if I did not part with the CDs.”

Karuppan said he fled for his life that very moment and could reach Chennai on February 19. Between February 19 and March 2, when the scandal broke, Nithyananda repeatedly called Karuppan who claimed he did not take his call. “Some ashramites threatened me and some others tried to bargain with me,” Karuppan said. Nithyananda then told his ashramites he was “going into samadhi.”

Frightened, defensive and fully aware that he had been exposed, Nithyananda left the Bidadi ashram on February 21 for an undisclosed location and returned on March 1. He finally fled the ashram on March 2, Karuppan said.