Another ‘Swami’ in trouble in Kerala

Sunil had borrowed Rs.10 lakh from a person in 2003 to produce a film but neither did he return the money nor did he honour the cheque given for the amount, he said.

The arrest warrant issued by the court earlier could not be served on Sunil, who by then had turned into a self-styled godman and started an ashram at Karanthur near Kozhikode. After the warrant was returned, the court had now issued a fresh conviction warrant asking police to produce him in court on May 31, Ashraf said.

Though the police went to the ashram on Saturday, inmates informed them that the `godman’ was now in Haridwar, he said.

On Saturday, Himaval Maheswara Bhadrananda alias ‘Ernakulam Swami’ created a flutter at the Aluva police station when he attempted to shoot himself with his licensed pistol but escaped with minor injuries after police snatched the weapon from him in time.

Television footage showed two shots being fired from Bhadrananda’s pistol as police grappled with him to snatch the pistol in front of a large media contingent gathered at the Aluva police station.

The media gathered there as the ‘swami’ earlier phoned a TV journalist and told her that he was going to shoot himself at his residence following which police were tipped-off.