Jind: A Jind-based preacher has been booked for allegedly raping a married woman, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, in the complex of Mehandipur Balaji temple in Todabhim town of Karauli district in Rajasthan in June.
The accused was carrying out an exorcism when he allegedly committed the crime. On getting the complaint from the survivor, the Jind women’s police station has registered a zero FIR in the matter and sent it to Rajasthan police for further investigation. A team led by Todabhim station house officer (SHO) Raghuvir Singh has been camping in Jind for past the three days to nab the accused and raids are being conducting at different places to track him down.
The SHO said the survivor and her husband, from Mainpuri in UP, went to Mehandipur Balaji temple with the accused preacher, Ashok Bhakat, as they felt an “evil spirit” had been haunting them. She alleged that the preacher asked them to cover their eyes with a cloth and have sex in front of him as it would help exorcise the spirit.
She alleged that they followed Ashok’s instructions. The woman alleged that her husband then went to the toilet and the preacher raped her.
The woman claimed that she and her husband had kept their eyes covered even at that time.
SHO Raghuvir said the rape case had been registered at Todabhim police station on July 15. “A three-member team of our police station has been sent to nab the accused. Raids are being carried out in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana,” he said.
A police team on Friday also raided Ashok’s temple near the Jind railway station, but it was found locked. The SHO said the survivor’s husband had been visiting Jind to seek help from the preacher and she had started accompanying him later.
