Police visit rape accused Daati Maharaj’s ashram

Jaipur/Delhi: A Delhi Police team on Saturday visited a Rajasthan ashram of Daati Maharaj, a self-styled godman accused of raping a disciple, an official said.

The team, which failed to find the godman at the ashram in Pali, was accompanied by the rape victim, a district police official said. He said the team conducted an inspection of the ashram to verify the victim's allegations. The local police provided the assistance sought by the team, the official told PTI.

The woman had filed a complaint last Sunday against Daati Maharaj at the Fatehpur Beri Police Station in south Delhi.

The case was later transferred to the Crime Branch. The woman alleged that she was sexually abused at Daati Maharaj's ashrams in Delhi and Rajasthan and named two male disciples of the godman in her complaint.

Delhi Commission for Women recently demanded the godman's arrest.

Earlier, Delhi Police issued a lookout circular against Daati Maharaj to ensure that he does not leave the country.

The woman has told the police that she had been a disciple of Daati Maharaj for a decade but after she was raped by him, she returned to her home in Rajasthan.

The woman has alleged that she was sexually abused at the godman's ashrams in Delhi and Rajasthan.

A senior Delhi Police officer confirmed that a Crime Branch team today visited the godman's ashram in Rajasthan to collect evidence.

The Maharaj was not at the ashram, and the team is likely to return to Delhi on Sunday. The probe was still at the initial stage, he said.