BENGALURU: KR Puram police registered a case of rape against a self-proclaimed astrologer after he demanded sexual favours from a woman to solve her problems. The accused, Anand Murthy (52), a resident of Avalahalli, was running an ashram. Police said that a month ago, the woman, who worked with a private company, had approached Murthy for solutions to her problems.
Murthy claimed he was worshipping a goddess who would solve everything. He took advantage of her situation and demanded sexual favours from her. Meanwhile, he forced her to drink juice laced with drugs and raped her. Murthy, who had video recorded the assault, shared the video of the victim with her fiancee and started blackmailing her. Based on a complaint, police registered an FIR and are on the lookout for the accused who escaped from the ashram when he heard that the woman had approached the police.