By IANS,
Kochi (Kerala) : The Kerala High Court Friday handed over controversial godman Santosh Madhavan, who was arrested on charges of rape and cheating last month, to the state police’s crime branch.
He has been sent to police custody till June 17 after the state government ordered a detailed inquiry into the fake godman’s wealth, an official said.
Madhavan alias Swami Amritananthachaithanya was arrested May 13 and charged with the rape of a teenaged girl, possession of ‘ganja’ (marijuana) and cheating a Dubai-based woman of Rs.4 million. A tiger skin and a large number of pornographic films were also recovered from his house here.
Apart from these, there is yet another petition against Madhavan in the high court that seeks a direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Directorate of Central Intelligence to probe the fake godman’s assets and financial transfers. The petitioner, A.M. Varghese, has alleged that Madhavan’s aides were threatening him because he had certain documents about the godman.
Two of Madhavan’s bail applications have been rejected earlier. There was more bad news for the ‘swami’ Thursday as two minor girls testified before the Kothamangalam magistrate in Ernakulam district that they too were sexually abused by him.
Madhavan is alleged to have links with politicians and police officials in the state.
Meanwhile, another ‘fake godman’, Himaval Maheswara Bhadranandaji, was given bail Thursday. Popularly known as ‘Ernakulam Swami’, Bhadranandaji was arrested after he threatened to shoot himself inside a police station in Aluva May 17.