Mumbai woman allegedly raped by self-proclaimed holy man on pretext of curing father's cancer

A woman from India's financial capital Mumbai has accused a self-proclaimed holy man of repeatedly raping her on the pretext of curing her father's cancer, police said.

The 39-year-old professional told police that she met the man on Facebook in 2015 and he promised to cure her father, but instead repeatedly raped her since their second meeting.

The accused Sailal Hiralal Jedia allegedly recorded the sexual assault episodes and blackmailed the woman. He is also accused of duping the victim of Indian Rs 310,000 (£3,736, $4,809) over the two years.

Police said Jedia is a resident of Guwahati, a city in the north eastern state of Assam. He is yet to be arrested, but has already been charged with Sections 376, 506 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code and under the Black Magic Act for rape and fraudulence.

"We have found his location and dispatched a team to arrest him. It seems that he has cheated many people. Apart from this, Jedia had taken the victim to various places and raped her," police said on Thursday (1 June).

"Over a period of two years, he raped her and threatened to circulate her videos on social media if she raised an alarm," an officer told The Hindustan Times, confirming the complaint.

In another rape incident involving a self-proclaimed holy man, the rape victim reportedly chopped off the genitals of her alleged tormentor. The incident took place recently in South India. Police have not filed any case against the 23-year-old victim but have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.