The accused, Maheshgiri alias Mahesh Kakde (31), was arrested late Thursday night and a local court on Friday remanded him in police custody till April 29.

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According to police, the victim was facing some family problems and in order to find solutions to her problems, her parents took her to a Shri Datta Devsthan Mutt in Dharangaon (Khadak) village near Lasalgaon in Niphad taluka of the district in 2024.

There she met ‘godman’ Maheshgiri. He told her that he has divine powers and can cure people. He convinced the woman that she had been affected by evil powers and forced her to do some rituals. After that, he started sending obscene and objectionable messages on her mobile phone. Slowly, he started sexually exploiting her. He took her to a lodge, where he sexually assaulted her and took her objectionable photographs, they said.

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The victim did not disclose her ordeal to anyone, but some activists of the Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti, an anti-superstition organisation, came to know about it. They took her in confidence, following which the victim lodged a complaint.

A case of rape was registered against the accused and he was also booked under the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013 on Wednesday night, followed by his arrest.