Saturday, July 23, 2011

Jul 23, 2011: Godman booked for rape, extortion

Alka Panse, TNN | Jul 23, 2011, 12.39am IST
NAGPUR: A 52-year-old godman was booked for raping and extorting money from a 32-year-old woman who had approached him to get her marriage fixed.

After the shocking incident came to light, enraged residents of Mominpura dragged out the 'Baba' and thrashed him black and blue late on Thursday night. The accused, Hajrat Mohammad Valiulla Samirulla, a resident of Bakramandi in Mominpura, is now undergoing treatment at Mayo Hospital.

According to the police, the victim, who is the youngest of eleven siblings, was rejected by many boys while her parents were trying to fix her marriage. Hence, someone suggested she should approach the godman.

The victim told the cops that her siblings accompanied her when she first met the Baba the first time in the first week of June. The Godman told the victim to come alone with some clothes on June 18.

"The woman followed the Baba's directions and reached his residence at around 7pm. He first performed some rituals and sprinkled water on her. He also uttered some 'mantras' on her," said investigating officer PSI Ashok Rewatkar from Tehsil police station.

The complaint lodged early on Friday morning said the woman was 'hypnotized' by the godman. "I was physically present but mentally absent, and didn't realize what happened then," said the woman in her complaint. She added that the godman also clicked some obscene pictures of her and showed them to her while she was leaving his house. "It was then that she realized what the Baba did with her," said Rewatkar.

The police said that being afraid, the woman did not tell the incident to anyone. After a few days, the Baba called her to take her clothes back, which she had left there on June 18. The woman went and she was raped again. This time the Baba threatened her and forced himself upon her again. He also took her snaps, said the cop.

Frightened by this, the victim started avoiding him and did not meet him again. "But the Baba started messaging her to come to his place. When she refused, he started threatening and blackmailing her using her objectionable photographs," said Rewatkar.

The godman also demanded Rs 30,000 from the girl and asked her to bring the valuables collected by her parents for her marriage. However, the girl did not accede to these demands.

Unable to tolerate the torture, the woman then told her problem to her family members on Thursday evening. Some family members went to Tehsil police station while a few others reached the Baba's house.

The neighbours and family members dragged the Baba out and thrashed him. Tehsil cops reached the spot some time later and since the Baba's condition was not well, he was rushed to Mayo Hospital.

Tehsil police registered offences of rape, threatening and extortion against the godman.

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