Dharmasthala case: Complainant maligning religious site for money, alleges wife

Mandya: In another development to the Dharmasthala complainant issue, a woman, claiming to be the masked man's first wife, has issued statements against him.

"He is not a good person. He used to harass me and my children. His statements related to the Dharmasthala burial case are not true. He must have been issuing such statements for money", she told the press.

Speaking to the media, on Thursday, she said, "I married him in 1999. We were together for seven years. He used to assault me, physically. We have a son and a daughter. He was a sweeper in Dharmasthala and used to clean toilets".

"To avoid paying alimony, he lied to the court that he was unemployed, during divorce. He betrayed me. My mother took care of my children", the woman said.

"We have great trust and respect for Dharmasthala. He never told me about rape, murder or burying of bodies in Dharmasthala. He was an arrogant person and used to abuse his brothers. I will not see his face, even if he dies", she said.

Meanwhile, residents of a village (Chikkaballi) in Mandya taluk have claimed that the complainant was a native of Mandya district. "His father was a grama panchayat employee. He was the youngest son, among four. He was in the village till 1994 and was unemployed. He married at a young age. His brother first went to Dharmasthala, later he followed him. He returned to the village with his third wife in 2014", the villagers claim.

He used to work as a civic worker and also at a brick kiln in the village for a year. The villagers built a house for him. He demanded that the house be transferred to his name. He availed a bank loan for buying cattle, but did not repay. He left the village suddenly, they said.