New Delhi, March 07: IT WAS a bad week for sleazy godmen — and the weekend dealt another blow to their crumbling pedestal.
After many popular gurus were exposed — quite literally — in different stings across the country, the shameful antics of another `spiritual guru' in Ghaziabad came to light on Saturday.Anup Kumar Sahai alias Swamiji, 40, allegedly abducted a 25-yearold from the Raj Nagar area of Ghaziabad after she snubbed his marriage proposal, the police said.
The self-styled guru took a fancy to Priyanka Srivastava, an MBA graduate pursuing a PhD, and wanted to marry her despite the fact that he has a wife and a seven-year-old daughter. When Priyanka and her family rejected Sahai's proposal, he offered them Rs 1 crore. When they still didn't budge, he threatened them, claiming he would abduct the girl and marry her forcibly if they didn't cooperate, the police said.
Priyanka went missing on February 15 but it was only on Saturday that the police registered a case of kidnapping against the guru and initiated a manhunt.
Sahai's " impeccable credentials" may have something to do with the delayed reactions.
Known to travel in a red beacon- fitted car, he claimed to be a member of the labour ministry's central advisory committee and listed his " office" at Shram Shakti Bhawan on the Capital's Rafi Marg. He also owned a trust named ` Saptrishi Foundation' and was on the board of several ayurvedic firms in India and abroad.
Rajesh Chaudhary, inspector in- charge at the Kavi Nagarpolice station, said on February 15, Priyanka left her Sector- 7, Raj Nagar house at 5.30 pm.
She went to a nearby Mother Dairy booth but did not return.
Her family immediately suspected Sahai and his elder brother, Ashutosh.
Priyanka's mother Sudha Srivastava said, " Anup said he wanted to marry my daughter and was constantly putting pressure on us. On February 11, he sent a woman named Poonam Sharma who claimed to be an NGO worker. She forcibly entered my house, took my daughter to a secluded corner and threatened her." The distraught mother's suspicions were confirmed when she started receiving calls and texts from the Sahai, in which he admitted to have abducted Priyanka. Sudha added, " Anup started calling us from different numbers. He said Priyanka was with him and that he would marry her soon." The Srivastavas' s lawyer, Rohit Sharma, said: " After Priyanka's father N. B. Lal expired in 2004, she suffered from depression. So, her mother took her to Sahai, who claimed he could heal depression through spiritual remedies.
But he started eyeing Priyanka malevolently. " The family accused Ashutosh — a former secretary to a minister of state in the previous cabinet — of shielding him. Both brothers have been booked under Sections 363, 366 and 506 of theIndian Penal Code.
Disciple shot sting to ` unmask' Nityanand
IT IS ONE gurudakshina Swami Paramahamsa Nityanand might remember for life. The godman's former disciple, Nitya Dharmananda alias Lenin Karuppan, has claimed he filmed Nityanand's sexcapades " to unmask the man masquerading as a spiritual leader". The videos showed Nityanand in compromising positions with actress Ranjitha.
According to Dharmananda, she served as Nityanand's personal attendant during her frequent, dayslong visits to his ashram.
The former disciple is said to have told the police more about the godman's ` sexcapades' and other murky happenings at his ashram. " He had intimate relationships with many other heroines too," Dharmananda said.
He added that his suspicions about the godman's activities were aroused with the death of a devotee from Canada at the ashram. They were deepened when another devotee attempted suicide.
Dharmananda is also said to have handed over to the police two CDs believed to contain Nityanand's dalliance with other tinseltown beauties.
The former Nityanand disciple said he had joined the godman's staff as a driver. He went on to become Nityanand's trusted lieutenant and settled down in the Bangalore ashram in 2006. He had free access to the godman's private rooms and he said he made the tapes December last.
" Sensing I had done a sting operation, Nityanand and ashram functionaries threatened me on February 18 during a visit to Salem. I escaped," Dharmananda said. He has sought police protection.
However, Dharmananda' s claims have raised doubts about the motive behind the release of the sleaze tapes.
In the meantime, Nityanand has said the videos were " morphed" and that it was " a conspiracy to defame" him. In an appeal through his website, he has urged his followers not to be carried away by the tapes.
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Fact and Truth
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