Self-Styled Guru Booked For Raping Minor Repeatedly Over Years In Gujarat: Report

Self-styled spiritual guru Prashant Upadhyay has been booked for reportedly raping a minor girl repeatedly between 2013 and 2017. Upadhyay is associated with the Bagua Mukhi Brahmastra Vidyamandir of Warasiya area in Vadodara. 

The complaint was filed at the Gotri police station on Saturday. The complainant, who was a minor at the time of the alleged crime, said that the accused had raped her on twelve occasions between 2013 and 2017.  According to The Indian Express, the survivor's family used to attend the sermons delivered by Upadhyay at his spiritual centre. The girl said that the 'guru' had then encouraged her to “offer services” during vacations.

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The survivor further said that in 2015 when she was 16, three women disciples of Upadhyay took her to his room. The accused allegedly gave her a tablet that rendered her unconscious. He then reportedly raped her. Later on, he threatened her to release her nude pictures on social media.

The self-styled guru has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for rape and criminal intimidation. He has also been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as the survivor was a minor when the alleged crime was committed.

What You Should Know

• A self-styled spiritual guru was booked for repeatedly raping a minor girl over the years.
• The accused had allegedly raped the survivor on twelve occasions between 2013 and 2017. 
• The accused was arrested in February on charges of cheating and threatening a woman.
• He has been booked under various sections of the IPC for rape and criminal intimidation and under the POCSO Act.

This is the second rape case against the accused. He is also facing another accusation of rape, which was also registered at Gotri police station. 

Also Read: Hoshiarpur Rape Case: 6-yr-old Girl Buried Today Amid Outrage

As per the report, Upadhyay was earlier arrested on charges of cheating and threatening a woman. In February, a businessman, Devraj Pandaya, was the first to claim that Upadhyay duped him of 21.80 lakh rupees on the pretext of reviving his business through prayers and rituals. Subsequently, four other people came forward claiming that Upadhyay had duped them too. 

Later on, a woman registered a complaint against Upadhyay and two of his aides for threatening her when she had held him responsible after her son went missing for more than two years. Upadhyay was then arrested on February 24. 

Similar incident

A man was arrested from Jama Mazar near Hussainabad, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh after his indecent behaviour with a woman was caught in a video. 

Also Read: 57% Rape Cases In Uttar Pradesh Took Place On Pretext Of Marriage: NCRB Data

The accused, namely Nasir aka Baba, claimed to be an occultist who treated childless couples. He was booked on charges of sexual assault, rape, and dishonesty. Later on, he was sent to jail. You can read more from here.

Sagrika Giri is an intern with SheThePeople.TV