Self-Proclaimed Godman Accused Of Raping 16-Year-Old Girl To Get Rid Of Dead Relative's 'Ghost'

A self-proclaimed godman has been accused of raping a 16-year-old girl on the pretext of curing her illness and getting rid of a dead relative's "ghost" who was said to be "possessing" the victim.

The incident took place in Thane's Bhiwandi area, which is approximately 22 miles away from India's financial capital Mumbai. The teen girl was reportedly taken by her mother to the self-proclaimed godman to seek a cure for the minor's neck pain. The accused then claimed the girl was possessed but he could cure her, reported India Today.

In hopes of helping her daughter, the mother and an acquaintance took the girl to the jungle and helped the accused commit the crime

"The complainant said she had severe neck pain and the accused claimed a dead uncle's ghost was possessing her and that he could cure her. She was taken to a forest and raped. Her mother and her acquaintance took the teen to the jungle," an official, whose identity was not revealed, said as per The Outlook.

The teen filed a complaint with the local police, after which the self-proclaimed godman and the mother have been taken into custody. Officers also arrested the mother's acquaintance for being involved in the crime.

The three have been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act.

News about self-proclaimed godmen getting involved in heinous activities is not that uncommon in India. According to a report from Vice, many Indians trust these godmen because they are convinced "mainstream politics and religion have failed them."

"As a country, we have always believed in miracles," sociologist Pranali Kakkar said as per the outlet. "We often trust them more than even our own family members. While you can pray to a god, with these so-called godmen, you can have two-way communication, which gives their followers more hope."

In May, a self-proclaimed godman was accused of raping at least four women devotees while they were staying in his hermitage in Jaipur, India. Three of the women belonged to the same family. All of the victims filed a complaint against Shailendra Mehta, who is known as "Tapasvi Baba."

The abuse came to light when one of the victims confided in her husband about her trauma as he was about to take their daughter to the same godman. The victim then opened up to two other women in her family, who shared a similar experience with the accused.