Controversial self-styled godman Nityananda Swami, who was absconding for over a month in the wake of an alleged sex scandal, was today arrested in Solan in Himachal Pradesh.
Nithyananda and four of his associates were arrested from a house in Mamlig village under Akri police station area in Solan District in a joint operation by policemen from Bangalore and Himachal Pradesh, Deputy Commissioner, Solan, Amar Singh Rathore said.
He said Nityananda, who is believed to have been living in the Solan village for the last one month, and his associates have been taken to Arki police station.
Bangalore Criminal Investigation Department, probing cases filed against Nithyananda, said it had recently seized some documents and articles during a raid on his ashram at Bidadi, about 35 km from here.
During the raid by a 15-member CID team, some documents pertaining to the ashram, computers and its hardware had been taken away by police, which had also questioned several ashramites, including Nithyananda's brother Nityeshwara.
Police were on the look out for Nityananda who had allegedly indulged in sleazy activities and a purported video footage, aired by regional TV channels, had showed him in a compromising position with a Tamil actress.
Tamil Nadu police had registered cases against Nithyananda for various offences under IPC including rape. The cases are under investigation by Karnataka police, to whom they were transferred to.
Nithyananda had announced that he had quit as the head of his ashram in Karnataka and associated trusts to lead a life of 'spiritual seclusion'.
