Thane, Nov 15 (PTI) A local court has rejected theanticipatory bail application of a 60-year-old self-styled'godman', accused of raping a woman and swindling her bypromising to cure her ailing father.
District and Additional Sessions Judge A S Bhaisarerejected the application of the godman, who was booked by theThane Police under IPC sections pertaining to rape, cheating,criminal intimidation and provisions of the Black Magic Actand the IT Act.
According to the prosecution, the investigating officerin the case told the court that the accused got in touch withthe 39-year-old woman, a resident of Thane city and working asa senior executive with a private company, on a socialnetworking site in June 2015 when she was looking fortreatment of cancer of her ailing father.
The accused, who ran an ashram at Guwahati in Assam, cameto Thane and allegedly convinced her of his supernaturalpowers.
He charged the woman's family Rs 3 lakh for variousrituals to "cure" cancer, said the officer.
He claimed that she was his wife in previous birth andtook her to various places, including in Assam and Delhi,where he allegedly raped her repeatedly, the investigatingofficer informed the court.
The accused also allegedly filmed the woman andblackmailed her into submission, he told the court.
The woman filed the complaint against the accused in Junethis year with the Thane Police.
The man filed the anticipatory bail application onNovember 6.
The accused's counsel submitted that his client was knownto the woman and that their sexual relations were consensualand hence, he has not committed any offence.
The prosecution, however, told the court that the accusedhad taken over Rs 3 lakh from the complainant. He had threewives and children and cheated the complainant, theprosecution further said.
The court perused the case diary and after hearing bothsides, rejected the anticipatory bail application of theaccused on November 8.
Meanwhile, the police have launched a search for theaccused. PTI CORR GKDV.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.