Chennai Rape Case: Temple Priest Karthik Munusamy Arrested

Tamil TV host filed a complaint against Karthik Munusamy, the priest of Kalikampal temple in the Mannadi area, Chennai, for sexually harassing her recently. Following the complaint, the Police arrested the priest today who was hiding in Kodaikanal.

Victim TV Anchor:

The woman involved in the case completed her engineering in 2021 and started working as a TV anchor for a private channel. The host has lost both of her parents and now lives on her own.

The anchor visited the Kalikampal temple where Karthik Munusamy befriended her and asked for her number, which she gave, considering him a friend. After a while, the priest asked her to drop by his house for a special puja. 

TV Host Forced Abortion:

During her visit, the priest gave her a drink, saying it was theertham (holy water). After drinking she became unconscious, and then he raped her. When she regained consciousness, she inquired about the incident. The priest confessed his love for her and assured her that he was separated from his wife. The priest also wedded her by tying the knot around her neck (Thalli - a Hindu sentiment for the marriage).

The couple started to live together, and the TV host got pregnant, which led to a lot of problems in their relationship. He forced her to abort the child and took her to a private hospital for the abortion process.

The victim stated that one day, he brought a special guest, a VIP, to their shared home. After chatting for a while, Karthik Munusamy left the two alone in the house. Later, the VIP started to misbehave with her and tried to sexually assault her, and then she called Karthik and cried to him. Karthik Munusamy then started assaulting her verbally and physically and threatened if she did not follow what he said that, she would face the consequences.

The Female TV Host Complaint:

The TV host has said that the accused, Karthik Munusamy, tried to force her into prostitution and started physically assaulting her for not following his choices. In this case, the mentally and physically harassed TV host turned up at Virugambakkam all-women police station to file a complaint against his live-in partner or husband Karthik Munusamy.

Karthik Munusamy Arrest:

A case is filed against Karthik Munusamy, the priest, under 6 sections, including violation of trust, defamation of women, threatening to kill, and misuse of information technology. Based on the TV host's complaint all the cases registered in Virugambakkam all-women police station against temple priest Karthik Munusamy. 

Police formed a special team to look for the accused Kalikampal Temple priest Karthik Munuswamy as he was absconding. The five members, including Kalidas, the head priest of the Kalikampal temple, who are in connection with Karthik Munusamy in the temple were called to the police station and investigated directly.

The Virukampakkam all-women police station issued a lookout notice to prevent the priest Karthik Munusamy from fleeing to foreign countries. While Karthik Munusamy was absconding, the Virugambakkam women's police arrested him in Kodaikanal. The police are currently investigating him at the Virugambakkam police station.

Karthik Munusamy's arrest followed a petition filed in the Madras High Court requesting a CB CID probe into the issue due to the city police's inattentive approach to the case. Additionally, the victim, a female anchor, appeared for a hearing on May 27 at the State Women's Commission in the Chepakkam area of Chennai.