Self-Styled Godman & Rape Accused Nithyananda, Wanted In Child Kidnapping, Has Fled The Country

Self-styled godman Swami Nithyananda, who has been booked in a criminal case related to his ashram, has fled the country. The Gujarat Police investigating to gather tangible evidence against him after taking two of his disciples in remand.

On November 20, an FIR was registered against the controversial guru on the charges of kidnapping and wrongful confinement of children to make them collect donations from followers to run his ashram here, Yogini Sarvagyapeetham.

Ahmedabad (Rural) Superintendent of Police R V Asari informed Nithyananda has fled abroad, and if required, the Gujarat police will seek his custody through proper channel.

Nithyananda has fled the country after a rape case was registered against him in Karnataka, and it will be a waste of time searching for him here.

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It was in 2010 when the self-styled godman was booked for allegedly raping his former disciple.

"If required, we will go through a proper channel to seek his custody from abroad. We will definitely arrest him if he comes back to India, Asari said according to a report by news agency PTI.

Two of Nithyananda¡¯s disciples, Pranpriya and Priyatatva, were taken into custody on Tuesday on kidnapping, illegal confinement and assault, among other charges, they have been sent on police remand by a rural court in Ahmedabad.

Police is investigating the case of a woman missing from Nithyananda's ashram here after a complaint was registered by her father Janardhana Sharma at the Vivekanand police station, Deputy SP (Ahmedabad rural), K T Kamariya told.

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The two disciples are in remand. If police gather concrete evidence against Nithyananda during the ongoing investigation, they will proceed with a case against him.

Gujarat Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja told reporters that nobody involved in the case will be spared.

Earlier, police arrested two sadhvis after two children aged 9 to 10 years enrolled at the ashram told the police they were tortured, made to work and kept in illegal confinement at a flat in the city for over ten days.

Same accusations were made by two other children after their parents filed a police complaint.

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The accused persons have been booked under sections 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person), 344 (wrongful confinement for ten or more days), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 502 (sale of printed or engraved substance containing defamatory matter) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

They have also been booked under section 14 of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, the police officer said.