Kasaragod: When Kasaragod Police knocked on his door in Mangaluru at 1.15 am on Wednesday, Ashwath Acharya (33) opened it wearing a T-shirt that read Sleepless Society.

Whether or not society is sleepless, he had certainly robbed a young pujari of his sleep — relentlessly blackmailing him with nude photographs and videos fraudulently obtained after striking up a friendship on Facebook.

Since November 2024, the 30-year-old priest has transferred Rs 10.05 lakh to Acharya's bank account in about eight transactions. But when the blackmailing continued, he finally approached the Badiadka Police station with his complaint.

The police acted swiftly. Badiadka Police registered the FIR at 12.30 am on Wednesday, February 5. Almost immediately, Kasaragod DySP Sunil Kumar C K delegated Manjeshwar Station House Office - Inspector Anoop Kumar E to pick up the accused. In 45 minutes, Acharya was taken into custody from his house at Kolambe, around 20km from Mangaluru. "It was not difficult to track him because the money was transferred to his account. There were no middlemen involved," said an officer.

Badiadka Police, which questioned Ashwath Acharya, said he introduced himself to the victim as a Yakshagana artiste on Facebook. "They exchanged phone numbers and frequently made video calls," Badiadka police said.

Sub-Inspector Radhakrishnan M stated that Acharya occasionally cross-dressed and wanted to transition into a woman.

According to the police, during their interactions, Acharya, who dropped out after Class ten, took screenshots and recorded the screen, eventually acquiring the complainant's nude photos and videos. One police officer mentioned that Acharya blackmailed the complainant to raise money for his sex change surgery. However, when asked, the sub-inspector clarified that this was not part of his official statement.

The pujari, a BA graduate hired by people to perform rituals at their homes, transferred Rs 3 lakh via GPay in five transactions and Rs 7.05 lakh through bank transfers in three transactions. "He had some of the money, but mostly, he borrowed to keep his blackmailer at bay," said the officer. But Acharya treated the pujari as a cash cow and pushed him too far, forcing him to turn to the police.