Thane (Maharashtra): The Mumbai Police arrested a 60-year-old self-styled godman in Maharashtra's Thane district on Monday, for allegedly raping a woman under the pretext of ridding her of evil spirits and sufferings, a police official said on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old woman from the Bhayander area here had approached the man following which he took advantage of her situation and allegedly raped her on various occasions from 2016 under the pretext of helping her, the official from the Bhayander police station said. The woman later realised that she was cheated on false promises and lodged a police complaint, the official added.
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Based on the complaint, the police arrested the accused on Monday and booked him under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, the official said.
In a similar incident, Suresh Kumar Ravindra Narayan Awasthi, a 58-year-old self-styled godman was arrested in Mumbai for raping a woman in the name of rituals. As per the police report, the accused had allegedly raped the victim several times since 2019 when she was a minor. The accused was later arrested by the Mumbai police under the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act provisions. (With Agency Inputs)
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