Two men posing as godmen and a temple priest were held for allegedly raping a woman

The police had earlier arrested two men from Mumbai on August 9, while the priest was arrested on Thursday for allegedly raping a 37-year old woman.

Two men posing as godmen and a temple priest were held for allegedly raping a woman
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A priest of Rajkot temple was arrested by the police for allegedly raping a woman. They arrested two other men from Mumbai earlier as they also raped her on the pretext of helping her to be free from "Aghori atma." The two men from Mumbai posed as godmen while the 27-year-old priest allegedly repeatedly assaulted her by offering her help to "end her miseries."

The two accused from Mumbai, identified as Swami Pranavanand Shukla and Hemant Joshi, were arrested on August 9, 2021. The priest was arrested on Thursday, September 30. 

On August 8, the 37-year-old woman who is a resident of Mumbai had complained to the police that she has been sexually assaulted by multiple men. Police registered a case on charges of rape and cheating under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They were also charged under Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.

Reportedly, the woman said to the police that she had separated from her husband in 2003. She married again in 2009, but there were constant fights between them, following which she went to Shukla - a self-proclaimed godman in 2011 seeking a solution. The accused told her that she was possessed and to be free from evil spirits, she has to get intimate with Shukla. Shukla introduced the woman to Joshi in 2015. Joshi had also raped her. 

On the recommendation of both the accused, the woman visited Rajkot every month, and the priest of the temple identified as Mahant Gautamgiri Gosai would rape her as well. She was also forced into prostitution by the accused, said the police. Police further added that Shukla introduced her to Chintransh Chinkhi. He would take her to different places across the country for prostitution and be asked to hand over the money to Shukla.

In August, the woman realized that in spite of tolerating the abuse for 10 years, her problems weren't solved, following which she filed a complaint.

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