Rippling Co-Founder Prasanna Sankar Accuses Chennai Police Of Harassment Amid Child Custody Battle With Estranged Wife | X
Chennai, March 23: Chennai-based tech entrepreneur Prasanna Sankar, co-founder of the billion-dollar company Rippling, has alleged that he is on the run from the Chennai police after being falsely accused in a child abduction case. He has claimed that the police are harassing him and his associates, including his friend Gokul, who was allegedly detained without an FIR. The case has taken a dramatic turn, with accusations of domestic abuse, child abduction, police misconduct and defamation surfacing from both sides.
Background: Marital Dispute and Allegations of Infidelity
Prasanna and Divya Shashidar were married for 10 years and have a 9-year-old son. Prasanna claims their marriage ended after he discovered Divya was having an affair with a man named Anoop for more than six months. He alleges that Anoop’s wife provided him with proof, including messages and hotel bookings made by Divya.
Following this revelation, the couple began discussing their divorce settlement, where Prasanna claims Divya demanded millions of dollars. When negotiations did not go as she wanted, he alleges that Divya filed a false police complaint against him, accusing him of domestic violence, rape, and leaking private videos.
Prasanna also claims that the Singapore police investigated these allegations and found them to be false. He then filed for divorce in India, while Divya filed for divorce in the U.S., allegedly to gain a larger financial settlement.
Child Custody Battle and Alleged Abduction
Prasanna claims that Divya took their son to the U.S. in violation of the law to strengthen her divorce case. In response, he filed an international child abduction case in a U.S. court. He says the court ruled in his favor and ordered Divya to return their son to India. To settle the matter, they signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), under which Prasanna agreed to pay ₹9 crore as a settlement and ₹4.3 lakh per month in child support.
As part of the custody agreement, both parents were supposed to share 50-50 custody of their child. Prasanna also insisted that Divya deposit their child’s passport in a common locker to prevent her from taking him out of India again. However, he alleges that Divya refused to comply, which raised concerns that she might try to flee the country again with their son.
Fearing that he might lose custody, Prasanna says he approached the courts to ensure his son’s passport was deposited before he returned the child to Divya. Instead of attending court hearings, Divya allegedly showed up at his hotel late at night, called their son to the lobby, and tried to lure him away. When this failed, she filed a kidnapping complaint against him.
Police Action and Allegations of Harassment
According to Prasanna, Chennai police raided his mother’s house and questioned her about his whereabouts. They also allegedly threatened and detained his friend Gokul, who had helped pick up the child, saying he would be made the main accused if he did not reveal Prasanna’s location. Gokul then fled to Bangalore but was reportedly picked up by Chennai police in plain clothes, without a warrant, and taken back to Chennai.
Prasanna claims that Gokul has been held in custody for three days without an FIR and is being pressured to convince him to surrender. The police have allegedly told Gokul that if Prasanna does not delete his social media posts criticizing the police, Gokul will be in serious trouble.
Additionally, Prasanna alleges that the police have tracked his phone, bank transactions (UPI), car, and IP address illegally. He claims that police officers also raided an Airbnb where he had stayed and seized the phone of a caretaker he had paid via UPI.
Counterclaims by Divya and the Police
On the other hand, Divya and the Chennai police have refuted Prasanna’s allegations. According to their version:
Divya had come to Chennai from the U.S. with her son.
On March 11, Prasanna’s assistant Gokul forcibly took the child away.
When Divya contacted Gokul, he said that the child was with Prasanna and would be returned by March 5.
After the child was not returned, Divya filed a kidnapping complaint on March 9 at the Thirumangalam police station.
The police began investigating the case and denied allegations of bribery and harassment, stating that Prasanna is defaming the police to escape the child abduction charges.
Furthermore, reports claim that when Prasanna and Divya were living in Singapore, Prasanna was arrested for allegedly placing a hidden camera in their bedroom and physically assaulting Divya. However, Prasanna denies these allegations and insists that he was cleared of all charges in Singapore.
Legal Battle and What’s Next?
Prasanna has announced that he will be filing a petition in court on Monday to prevent the police from harassing him. Meanwhile, his entire family has reportedly left Tamil Nadu, fearing police action. He has also shared photos and videos of his son, claiming that the child is safe and happy with him.
The case continues to unfold as Prasanna’s legal team prepares for a court battle against the police and his ex-wife. Meanwhile, Divya and the Chennai police are expected to hold a joint press conference, where they are likely to make further allegations against Prasanna.
