Doctor Rapes Childless Patient To Remove 'Spell' On Her: Police

A traditional doctor in the Indian state of Gujarat is accused of raping a childless married patient earlier this week after a ceremony he claimed would remove a "spell" cast on the woman.

Police alleged that Hari Solanki raped the 25-year-old victim in his clinic in Gir Somnath district's Kodinar area Tuesday, The Times of India reported.

Solanki, who practices ayurvedic medicine, previously told the victim during their first consultation nearly three weeks ago that a spell had been cast on her, according to the outlet. The doctor then reportedly offered to perform a ceremony to remove the "evil influence" of the spell.

Solanki gave the victim medicines and asked her to visit him again when she finishes taking them.

The woman later returned to Solanki's clinic with her mother-in-law for the ceremony, but the doctor asked the mother-in-law to wait outside.

He then allegedly asked the victim to wear her wedding saree and performed the ceremony. Solanki allegedly raped the woman as she was changing her dress following the ceremony.

The woman revealed the alleged attack to her husband and other family members. She then approached authorities after her relatives decided to register a complaint against Solanki.

A case was filed against Solanki based on the woman's complaint, but his charges were unclear. The doctor has yet to be arrested, according to the report.

A similar incident occurred last week in the state of Maharashtra when a 40-year-old doctor was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a physically challenged teenage patient in his clinic over the course of a year.

An investigation revealed that the unnamed physiotherapist raped the girl, who had a speech impairment, among other physical disabilities, whenever the latter visited the unnamed doctor's clinic in Santacruz, Mumbai.

The girl reportedly revealed the incident to her parents on Oct. 19 which prompted the couple to file a police complaint two days later. Authorities arrested the doctor on the same day the complaint was filed.

The doctor has been accused of committing similar offenses to other children as well.

A case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act were registered against the doctor. He appeared in a local court and was remanded to police custody.

The victims’ identities were not revealed to protect their identity in accordance with the Supreme Court's directives on cases related to sexual assault.