Chennai godman and his wife arrested for rape charges

A Chennai-based godman Sathiya Narayanan was arrested by police on Saturday, for repeatedly raping a woman. His wife Pushpalatha too was arrested for aiding him.

Chennai: A Chennai-based godman Sathiya Narayanan and his wife Pushpalatha were arrested by police on Saturday, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other laws relating to sexual harassment and was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody.

The police said, "the accused couple, Sathiya Narayanan and his wife Pushpalatha have been running Shirdipuram Sarva Sakthi Peedam Trust at Vinayakapuram in Chennai."

The girls relative took her to an ashram when she was studying in 12th. She was called inside a room to be given sacred ash, but Pushpalatha offered a glass of juice.

Two hours later, when she came to her senses she realized that Sathiya Narayanan raped her with the help of his wife.

Later he told her he had performed a pooja to remove her many sins. The couple had taken naked pictures of the victim and warned her not to speak of the incident.

The victim got married in 2018 and went abroad. In 2020, Sathiya Narayanan managed to trace her and called her. He threatened to show her nude pictures to her husband and forced her to visit the ashram where he raped her repeatedly, the officer said.

In July 2020, after finding that she was pregnant, Sathiya Narayanan and his wife threatened her to abort the child. The woman attempted to kill herself but she was saved. She delivered the baby in January 2021.

In November this year, the woman told her husband what happened. A complaint was lodged at an all-women police station in the city.

A case was registered after a thorough investigation of Sathiya Narayanan and his wife.