Sexual assault case against Kerala temple assistant exposed as honeytrap

Kochi: In a dramatic turn of events, a sexual assault case at Thrissur's Peringottukara Devasthanam temple has been exposed as a calculated honeytrap. Bengaluru police, who had earlier arrested TA Arun, the son-in-law of the temple’s chief priest and manager Unni Damodaran, based on a woman’s complaint, have now revealed that the alleged crime was a conspiracy to frame him.

Arun, who was arrested by Bellandur police on June 16, is now considered the victim of a devious plot. This shocking reversal came to light during a fresh investigation carried out by Bengaluru’s Banaswadi police.

Banaswadi police have arrested five people in connection with the case, including Ratna, a Bengaluru native and massage parlour worker who had filed the complaint against Arun. The others arrested are Ratna’s assistant Monica, Sharath Menon, a Palakkad native who runs an event management company, and his assistants Sajith and Alam, both from Bengaluru. However, the first accused KV Praveen, nephew of Damodaran, remains absconding.

Following these developments, Arun, who had spent 45 days in judicial custody, was granted bail by a Bengaluru court. Unnimaya, Damodaran’s elder daughter and Arun’s sister-in-law, alleged that Praveen used Ratna and others to trap Arun due to a long-standing dispute over the Devasthanam’s ownership.

According to Ratna’s original complaint, she had visited the temple in November 2024 to perform pujas. The complaint alleged that Arun, who assisted the priest, befriended her and convinced her she was under an evil spell. He allegedly began a ‘remote puja’ online, and the harassment over phone calls reportedly started in March 2025. She accused him of coercing her into making nude video calls, claiming it was part of the ritual, and threatening to release the videos or harm her with black magic if she resisted.

The complaint further stated that the harassment escalated on May 10, 2025, when Arun allegedly lured her back to the temple and sexually assaulted her in a room while Damodaran waited outside. She also alleged that Arun threatened to harm her children with black magic if she approached the police. Ratna eventually informed her family, leading to the complaint and Arun’s arrest.

As evidence, Ratna had provided police with phone conversations and WhatsApp screenshots. Based on this, Bellandur police arrested Arun from the Devasthanam on June 16. Damodaran was also booked in the case but evaded arrest after going absconding.

Arun’s family had maintained from the beginning that the case was fabricated to tarnish the Devasthanam’s reputation. Later, Unnimaya filed a complaint with Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, alleging that Arun was deliberately framed in a honeytrap and that Bengaluru police had demanded ₹2 crore to drop the case.

The subsequent probe confirmed that Sharath Menon and his accomplices had used Ratna to frame Arun. Ratna herself testified that she was promised ₹20 lakh but received only ₹8 lakh.

Speaking to the media in Kochi, Unnimaya alleged a larger conspiracy. “KV Praveen is the mastermind behind the honeytrap case. This was done to tarnish my family’s reputation over the temple ownership dispute. For the last two months, my family has gone through immense pain and my sister’s husband was jailed after being trapped. I won’t stop until the conspiracy is proven. I have already filed a complaint with the chief minister’s office,” she said.