CHANDIGARH: A Hindu priest, who on the pretext of "curing" a woman "possessed by evil spirits" sexually assaulted a woman in Canada has been arrested by the police.
The incident took place in North Oshawa, Ontario.
Durham Regional Police in a statement said the suspect, based in US, was hired by the woman's family to perform a religious ceremony after he deceived the woman into believing that she was possessed by evil spirits and required a special ceremony to be cured.
He sexually assaulted her under the guise of conducting the religious ritual.
"Members of the East Division responded to a sexual assault report on Tuesday, August 25, in the area of Harmony Road North and Conlin Road East," according to the statement. "The suspect was arrested shortly after police received the complaint."
The accused has been identified as Rajendranauth Doodnauth Maraj, (50) of Richmond Hill, New York. He has been charged with sexual assault and was held for a bail hearing.
The allegations have not been proven in court. Police said they are concerned there could be other victims and have released a photograph of the accused as part of their investigation.