Seer honeytrapped by engineering student commits suicide

A 21-year old female engineering student was arrested by police in Karnataka on charges of honeytrapping Baasavalinga Swami (45), a sanyasi of Lingayat sect. Basavalinga Swami had taken the drastic decision to end his own life to escape from public shame. A seer from a rival mutt was also arrested along with the woman for blackmailing Baasavalinga Swami.

According to police sources, the young girl had built up a close relationship with Basavalinga Swami and had recorded some intimate video calls in April. These video call recordings were used to blackmail Baasavalinga Swami. On October 24, he was found hanging at Kanchugal Bande Mutt, the religious institution he had headed.

Through a suicide note, he had alleged that he was being blackmailed and harassed by a woman, who had some videos. Apart from arresting the woman involved in this honeytrap, Karnataka police also managed to track down the main conspirator, Mrityunjaya Swami, who allegedly wanted to take over the Kanchugal Bande Mutt that Basavalinga Swami was heading since 1997.

The feud between the two seers had led to the conspiracy. Tracking phone calls of the deceased police managed to nab the culprits. At the direction of Mrityunjaya Swami, the arrested female engineering student had allegedly “honeytrapped” Basavalinga Swami to pressurize him to leave the post of head of the mutt. Police investigation has also revealed that Basavalinga Swami had paid a large amount of money to his blackmailers.