Maharashtra: ''Godman'' held for raping, sexually abusing 5 sisters
Pune: A self-styled godman was arrested for allegedly raping and sexually abusing five sisters in the 10-19 age group on the pretext of conducting a ritual to help them conceive as well as find hidden treasure in their house in Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune, police said on Tuesday.
According to the complaint lodged on Monday by the elder sister of the five victims, the abuse took place between January and February 2019, a senior official said.
The accused Somnath Chavan (32) told the 22-year-old complainant that someone had performed black magic on her family to prevent the sisters from conceiving, the official said quoting the complaint.
"Chavan also told them that one of the sisters was in danger and he could save her by conducting a ritual and would also help them find a hidden treasure in their house," he said.
The accused demanded Rs 3 lakh to conduct the "special ritual", the official said.
"The accused raped and sexually abused the five sisters. He also threatened to kill the victims' parents if they complained about the abuse. Chavan even held a fake wedding with one of the victims," the official said.
The accused has been arrested under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act of 2013.
The case was taken after the intervention of members from Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti, an outfit fighting superstition and other occult practices prevalent in society.
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ED searches: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses Centre of targeting Cong leaders
Chamarajanagara (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the central government and its agencies of consistently targeting Congress members by using searches on their properties, and questioned why similar action is not taken against BJP leaders.
He was reacting to searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday on several individuals, among them the sons of Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris and the grandson of former Union Cabinet minister K Rahman Khan, in connection with a cryptocurrency-linked money laundering case.
"The central government always targets Congress leaders. Will they raid the houses of BJP leaders?" Siddaramaiah said in response to a question. More than a dozen premises in the city were searched as part of the operation carried out by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The premises searched comprised those of Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad, the sons of the MLA; Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of veteran Congress leader K Rahman Khan; and an alleged crypto hacker, Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki, officials said.
The money laundering case stems from Karnataka Police FIRs and charge sheets filed in a 2017 case involving the hacking of national and international websites, theft of bitcoins, and the sale of these stolen virtual digital assets (VDAs) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
Mohammed Haris Nalapad, Omar Farook Nalapad, and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this crypto-linked activity, officials added.
