Woman alleges rape, Feng Shui expert says part of ‘crystal therapy’

The police are also waiting to see if other women who may have consulted Naik in the past come forward to register any complaint. (Representational photo)

THE THANE police have arrested a Feng Shui practitioner on charges of raping a 20-year-old college student, and will now look for literature on ‘crystal healing therapy’ to get more clarity in the matter. The student has alleged that accused Charuhas Naik (60) forcibly inserted a crystal into her private parts during “treatment”.

Naik has told the police that the girls’ statement was true but said he had asked her to insert the crystal herself. He also claimed that it was part of the crystal healing therapy, considered a ‘pseudoscience’.

An officer probing the case said the girl’s parents had taken her to Naik since she was facing “some problem”. Her father knew Naik and they believed crystal healing — which involves placing crystals on different parts of the body or around the body to create ‘healing energy’ — would help her. The treatment started on October 28. The police said the girl’s mother had accompanied her to the 3BHK residence of Naik, a divorcee who stayed alone, in Kasarvadavali for the first two sessions.

On October 30, the third occasion, the mother had to leave early for work, after which Naik allegedly told the girl to remove her pants and then inserted a crystal into her private parts claiming that it was part of the treatment. She objected to it but Naik did not listen, the girl said in her statement to the police. After she went home and told her parents about it, the family took her to a gynaecologist, following which a rape case was registered at the Kasarwadavli police station in Thane. Naik was arrested Wednesday.

An officer said, “While interrogating Naik, he told us that inserting crystals into private parts was part of the healing therapy. He, however, claims that he had given the crystal to the girl and did not insert it himself. We are firstly trying to verify if the technique does say that. However, since there is no specific laws governing alternative therapies, it will be difficult to get anyone who can tell us with certainty if it was part of the crystal healing therapy.” The police have the custody of Naik till Friday when they will produce him in court and seek further custody.

The police are also waiting to see if other women who may have consulted Naik in the past come forward to register any complaint. An officer said Naik claimed to be one of the first people in the city who started the practice of Feng Shui. Naik reportedly calls himself a “psychologist, journalist, astrologer, palmist, hypnotherapist, numerologist, Reiki grand master, healer, face and signature reader”. In the past, Naik has held seminars on Feng Shui and reported to have a fair share of followers. In media interviews in the 2000s, Naik had claimed it was his friend Peter, his roommate at the London School of Journalism, who introduced him to Feng Shui.