Indian guru drugged and raped over 100 women, jailed for 14 years

An Indian court has sentenced a 63-year-old self-styled "Godman" to 14 years in jail for raping more than 100 women.

The accused, Amarveer, popularly known as "Jalebi Baba," has been found guilty of not only raping the women, but also making videos of the acts to blackmail his victims. The court pronounced the judgment on the basis of the statements given by three of his several victims.

The crimes took place in Tohana, a town in the Indian state of Haryana. The accused used to drug the women who came to him seeking help since he claimed to be an occultist.

He would offer them drugs in some form, sexually exploit them, and make videos of the act. He used the video clips to blackmail his victims for money.

He was arrested in July 2019 when one such video went viral in the city. The police found at least 120 similar clips in his phone, each featuring a different woman, per a report in The Times of India.

"He has been in jail for the last 4.5 years and will have to stay in jail for nine-and-a-half years. The accused Baba was acquitted in the Arms Act. Other details of the judgment will be revealed after seeing the copy of the order," said his lawyer, Sanjay Verma.

The self-styled Godman used to run a food stall when he met a man who introduced him to occult practices. It is said that Amarveer then disappeared for a few years and came back to Tohana to set up his practice in the town.

This is not the first time that a self-styled Godman has been convicted of rape in India. In 2017, controversial Indian guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was given a 20-year sentence for raping two of his female followers.

His sentencing had triggered violent protests among his supporters, leading to the deaths of about 40 people. Trains and buses were torched in the Indian capital, Delhi.