CLAIM
A viral post on social media claims that one among the prime accused in the Karnataka temple poisoning case which occurred on 15 December, resulting in the death of at least 15 devotees, is a Christian convert by the name of 'Sylvia/Silvia Ambika'.
The post was also shared by Meena Das Narayan, a journalist and filmmaker, on Twitter. She attributed the claim to one 'Nagesh Segal' on Facebook.
However, searches by the name 'Nagesh Segal' threw up no results on Facebook.
The claim has also been shared by several pages on Facebook such as 'Presstitutes - Urba Naxals', and ‘India Cause’.
TRUE OR FALSE?
When The Quint contacted Dharmendra Kumar Meena, Superintendent of Police, Chamarajanagar district, he said the claim was false.
“This claim is completely fake, there is no truth behind this. None of the accused who have been arrested are Christians. We have issued a statement regarding this as well.”
In a statement published on their Facebook page, the district police clarified that none of the accused belonged to the Christian community, warning the public against such false news.
WHO IS AMBIKA?
Ambika is one of the four accused who admitted to have poisoned the food offering in the Sulavadi temple in Chamarajanagar, resulting in the death of 15 devotees.
The police have arrested the temple seer and three trustees, including Madesha (46), his wife Ambika (35) and Doddaiah Thambadi.
Speaking to IANS, Meena had said:
“If convicted, the accused face death sentence or life imprisonment as it is one of the rarest cases in which the custodians of a temple have deliberately mixed poison in a sacred offering to the deity (Hindu Goddess Maramma), which led to the death of 15 innocent devotees.”
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