Representative image for an arrest.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: A 39-year-old priest was arrested in Arsikere on Tuesday for allegedly raping a woman on two occasions in Bengaluru, police said.
Bagalagunte police arrested Dayanand, a resident of Arsikere and a priest at the well-known Puradamma Temple in Hassan, for raping the 26-year-old resident of northern Bengaluru.
The woman had approached the suspect seeking help for marriage. According to the FIR, Dayanand told her that she had 'mangala dosha' and needed to get rid of it through some rituals.
He later called her to a place in HSR Layout for conducting the rituals. He then promised to drop her home, but instead took her to a place on Mysuru Road, where he forced himself upon her and raped her.
He also took her pictures in a compromising position and blackmailed her. On July 26, he took her to a lodge in Majestic and raped her again, according to the FIR lodged on Monday.
A police officer investigating the case said Dayanand had known the woman since April through mutual connections and assured her that he would solve her problem through his puja.
In the last three months, he met her multiple times and gave her lemons to keep at home, saying they were "scared". He gradually won the woman's trust, the officer told DH.