The Thane Police Crime Branch on Friday arrested a seventh accused in connection with a sexual abuse racket, where a self-styled Godman allegedly targeted over 17 victims, including several minors. According to Crime Branch officials, the accused has been identified as Hitendra Shete 56, a resident of Lalbaug.

“Shete is suspected to have been the middle man between the godman and the victims. We suspect the gang was active and operating across different parts of Maharashtra. We are still working on establishing how many more could be involved in the offence, and the exact number of victims exploited till date,” said a police officer.