Chennai-based tech entrepreneur Prasanna Sankar, co-founder of the billion-dollar company Rippling, has alleged that he is being falsely accused in a child abduction case. According to Prasanna, the Chennai police are harassing him and his associates, including his friend Gokul, who was allegedly detained without an official First Information Report (FIR). He claims that he is now on the run to escape what he describes as wrongful persecution.
The case has taken a dramatic turn, with accusations of domestic abuse, child abduction, police misconduct, and defamation being made by both sides. While Prasanna insists that he is a victim of a malicious campaign orchestrated by his ex-wife, Divya Shashidar, and the police, the authorities and Divya have rejected his claims, stating that he is trying to avoid accountability.
Marital Dispute and Infidelity Allegations
Prasanna and Divya were married for ten years and have a nine-year-old son. According to Prasanna, their marriage ended after he discovered that Divya had been having an affair with a man named Anoop for over six months. He claims that Anoop’s wife provided him with concrete proof, including messages and hotel bookings, confirming the affair.
Following this revelation, the couple began negotiating a divorce settlement. Prasanna alleges that Divya demanded a significant financial settlement, amounting to millions of dollars. When their negotiations did not proceed as she wished, he claims that she retaliated by filing false police complaints against him, accusing him of domestic violence, rape, and leaking private videos.
Prasanna further asserts that these allegations were investigated by the Singapore police and found to be baseless. While he filed for divorce in India, Divya reportedly initiated divorce proceedings in the U.S., allegedly to secure a more favorable financial outcome.
Child Custody Battle and Kidnapping Allegations
The dispute over their child’s custody has been a major point of contention. Prasanna claims that Divya illegally took their son to the U.S. in an attempt to strengthen her divorce case. In response, he filed an international child abduction case in a U.S. court, which he says ruled in his favor and ordered Divya to return their son to India.
To resolve the issue, the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), under which Prasanna agreed to pay ₹9 crore as a financial settlement and ₹4.3 lakh per month as child support. The MoU also outlined a shared custody arrangement, granting both parents 50-50 custody of their son.
As part of the agreement, Prasanna insisted that their son’s passport be deposited in a common locker to prevent any further attempts by Divya to take him out of India. However, he alleges that Divya refused to comply, raising concerns that she might attempt to flee with their son once again. Worried about losing custody, Prasanna approached the courts to ensure that the passport was deposited before returning the child to Divya.
According to him, instead of attending court hearings, Divya arrived at his hotel late at night, attempted to lure their son away, and when unsuccessful, filed a kidnapping complaint against him.
Police Action and Allegations of Harassment
Prasanna has accused the Chennai police of unlawfully targeting him and his associates. He claims that officers raided his mother’s home, interrogated her about his whereabouts, and even threatened his friend Gokul, who had assisted in picking up the child. When Gokul fled to Bangalore, he was allegedly tracked down by Chennai police officers in plain clothes, taken into custody without a warrant, and brought back to Chennai.
According to Prasanna, Gokul has been detained for three days without an FIR and is being pressured to persuade him to surrender. The police allegedly warned Gokul that unless Prasanna deleted his social media posts criticizing the police, he would face severe consequences.
Furthermore, Prasanna claims that law enforcement has been illegally monitoring his phone, and tracking his bank transactions (via UPI), car movements, and IP address. He also alleges that officers raided an Airbnb where he had stayed and confiscated the caretaker’s phone, which he had paid for using UPI transactions.
Counterclaims by Divya and the Police
In response to Prasanna’s accusations, Divya and the Chennai police have denied any wrongdoing. Their version of events states that Divya had traveled to Chennai from the U.S. with her son. On March 11, Prasanna’s assistant, Gokul, allegedly took the child away by force.
Divya claims that when she attempted to contact Gokul, he assured her that the child was with Prasanna and would be returned by March 5. However, when this did not happen, she filed a kidnapping complaint at the Thirumangalam police station on March 9.
The police, in turn, began investigating the case and dismissed Prasanna’s allegations of bribery and harassment. They argue that he is attempting to defame the police and evade the child abduction charges against him. Additionally, reports have surfaced claiming that Prasanna was arrested in Singapore during his marriage for allegedly placing a hidden camera in their bedroom and physically assaulting Divya. Prasanna has denied these accusations, stating that he was cleared of all charges by the Singapore authorities.
With a passion for news writing and a deep interest in Journalism, Bowrna wants to write articles that create an impact. Not only writing, she also has a passion for voiceovers and also aspires to become a Radio Jockey in the future. When not writing, she likes to listen to songs and dance to her heart's content. She is proficient in English, Tamil and Hindi.
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