Indian tech billionaire responds to wife’s allegations of ‘open marriage, sex with escorts, camera in bathroom’

Indian tech entrepreneur and co-founder of billion-dollar startup Rippling, Prasanna Sankar, has taken to social media to share his side of the story in what has become a highly publicised divorce battle involving allegations ranging from abduction to sexual misconduct.

In a series of posts, Prasanna addressed the accusations made by his estranged wife, Dhivya Sashidhar, who recently alleged that he forced her into an open marriage and made degrading demands. 

Prasanna denied all allegations and claimed they were part of a broader strategy during their divorce dispute, particularly concerning the custody of their 9-year-old son. He stated that the Singapore police had checked his phone and cleared him of all serious charges, including allegations of sexual misconduct and circulation of intimate content of his wife.

The techie claimed that Sashidhar had abducted their child to the United States to aid her case in a US court, despite ongoing legal proceedings in India. Prasanna filed an international child abduction case in the US, where he says the court ruled in his favour and ordered the child’s return to India.

Upon their return, the couple signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), agreeing to joint custody and financial terms reportedly amounting to ₹9 crore and ₹4.3 lakh per month in support. However, Prasanna alleges that his wife later rejected the MoU, demanded more money, and resumed legal actions against him, including police complaints in Chennai.

Prasanna also accused the Chennai police of harassing his friends and tracking his location illegally, without filing a First Information Report (FIR). He claimed that his friend, Gokul, who helped him during the custody exchange, was detained in Bengaluru by officers and brought to Chennai without a warrant. Gokul was allegedly held in custody for three days without being produced before a magistrate.

Despite an assurance from the police commissioner that there would be no arrests and that custody matters would be resolved in court, Prasanna said the police have continued to pursue him.

Prasanna said he left his home on the advice of his lawyers after facing what he described as “false and aggressive legal complaints”. He emphasised that he continued to financially support his family, including his son’s education in Singapore.

He then demanded that his wife secure their son’s passport in a joint locker, as agreed in the MoU, to prevent another abduction. He further requested that she commit in court to follow the shared custody agreement.

However, after sharing all this, in his latest post, Prasanna said that several media outlets have published one-sided stories that paint him in a negative light. While he is considering whether to respond to these reports, he expressed concern that doing so would give undeserved attention to dishonest narratives.

Wife’s allegations

According to The San Francisco Standard, Dhivya Sashidhar claims she endured years of psychological and physical abuse. She says she gave up her professional life to support Sankar and their family, only to be coerced into painful sexual acts, pressured into accepting an open marriage, and later discover hidden cameras placed throughout their $20,000-a-month Singapore apartment  including one in the bathroom used by their 9-year-old son.

Sankar reportedly admitted in court to installing the cameras, stating that they were meant to ensure his wife was not cheating and to collect evidence for future legal use.

Sashidhar has accused him of using those recordings to threaten and control her, and she reported both the surveillance and a physical assault to Singapore police in August 2024.