IIT grad posing as sadhu held for sexual abuse of multiple women

AGRA: An IIT Roorkee graduate, who previously worked at a private company in Delhi NCR before moving to Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, to become a self-styled spiritual guru, has been arrested for allegedly luring young women into a spiritual group and sexually exploiting them under the pretext of performing religious and social rituals.Mathura (Rural) SP Suresh Chandra Rawat told TOI, “The accused, 30-year-old Abhishek Mishra, alias Adikarta Narayan Das, was arrested near Radha Kund in the Govardhan area on Monday night.”Originally from Bhubaneswar, Mishra had been residing in Mathura for the past three years, having graduated five years ago. According to the police, Mishra used YouTube and other social media platforms to deliver online discourses to attract followers, claiming his aim was to educate men and women.Mishra allegedly targeted young men and women, gradually “brainwashing” his followers and encouraging them to enter into so-called ‘Gandharva marriages‘—a form of marriage that does not require formal ceremonies, witnesses, or exchange of sacred vows before a fire.“He manipulated women associated with the group and established physical relationships with them,” DSP Anil Kumar said.Probe into the matter began last month after a 22-year-old nursing student from Chhattisgarh filed a police complaint. She alleged that she was “sexually harassed” by Mishra after he spiked milk served to her as ‘prashad’. The incident occurred when the complainant came to visit her elder sister, who was undergoing training with a PSU and was associated with Mishra’s group.The woman stated in her complaint that Mishra later demanded ₹5 lakh, warning that he would circulate her videos if she failed to pay.An FIR was registered at the Govardhan police station under BNS sections 64(1) (rape), 351 (criminal intimidation), and 75(2) (sexual harassment). During investigation, police recovered more than a dozen obscene photographs of different men and women from the accused’s mobile phone.Police stated that at least three women have been freed from his ashram. Sources added that as many as six men and women signed a joint complaint letter against Mishra."