Arrested in a rape case in 2013, Narayan Sai is lodged in a Surat jail.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday filed a prosecution complaint against Narayan Sai, son of self-styled godman Asaram, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a bribery case.
Sai, arrested in a rape case in 2013, is lodged in a Surat jail. The ED has sought the prosecution of Sai and others for money laundering in its complaint filed at the special PMLA court here, the agency said in a release.
The court took cognizance and issued bailable warrants to the accused, the ED said.
The complaint is based on an FIR and chargesheet filed by Surat Police, who had claimed to have unearthed an alleged conspiracy to bribe officials after Sai was arrested in the rape case.
“Narayan Sai…hatched a conspiracy to bribe officials of the police, judiciary, medical and jail departments to replace 42 bags of seized important documents with bags of unnecessary papers,” the ED said. The objective was to weaken the rape case against him, it alleged.
In 2015, the ED had seized Rs 8.10 crore in cash from Sai’s accomplices and this was to be used to bribe officials, the ED release said.
A Surat-based woman accused Asaram of raping her while she was living in his Ashram. Her younger sister has levelled similar allegations against Narayan Sai.