Mumbai: Self-styled 'godman' arrested for allegedly molesting minor

molesting godman arrested

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A 60-year-old self-styled godman has been arrested by the Mankhurd police for allegedly molesting a minor girl. The accused, Gulam Mohammad Rafiq Sheikh, also known as 'seethiwale baba', who has been absconding for over 3 months, was finally apprehended on December 23.

According to a report by The Indian Express, he had applied for aniticipatory bail on two occasions, while he was on the run. The accused has been sent to judicial custody by sessions court on Tuesday. He has been charged under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code, read with Sections 8 (punishment for sexual assault) and 12 (punishment for sexual harassment) of the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The accused was a resident of Shivaji Nagar in Bainganwadi. He would spend most of his time at a dargah near Karbala maidan in the locality, where he did odd jobs. The incident is believed to have occurred at 7:30 pm on September 6. The victim visited the dargah around this time, when Sheikh apparently lured her to a dark alleway and made her sit on his lap, while he touched her inappropriately. He ran away upon being witnessed and has been on the run until his arrest in December, when he returned to Shivaji Nagar to visit his son.

The compaint was registered by the victim's parents at Mankhurd police station, when the girl narrated the ordeal to them, after locals, who had witnessed the incident informed her mother.