Horror Ashram: Godman chains, rapes orphan in Vizag; held

Visakhapatnam: Police have arrested a 64-year-old godman for allegedly raping and torturing a 15-year-old orphan in his Ashram at Vizag.

In 2012, the same person was arrested for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl inmate, but later was released on bail.

The victim managed to flee the Ashram and approached the police in Vijayawada. The girl told the police that she was chained and spent many days without any food.

ACP (Disha Police Station) Ch Vivekananda immediately swung into action and arrested Swami Poornananda. The accused is heading Swami Gnanananda Ashram. It houses an orphanage and an old-age home.

Swami Poornananda is the director of the orphanage. He has repeatedly raped a minor girl.

The girl had lost her parents at an early age. Her relatives had admitted her to the Ashram. The victim managed to escape from the Ashram with the help of a domestic help. She boarded a train and narrated the scene to a woman passenger. She got in touch with Child Welfare Committee (CWC), where she revealed how the godman sexually and physically assaulted her at the ashram.

The investigation has revealed that there are twelve orphans in the Ashram including four girls. "The victim is older than others and she was targeted by the godman. The accused was picked up from the Ashram premises in the wee hours on Tuesday," the police added.

A case has been registered against him under section 376 of IPC (rape) and the POCSO Act. The victim girl is undergoing medical tests in Vijayawada.

However, the accused claimed that the allegations and cases against him were a conspiracy to grab the valuable lands of the Ashram.

The police said that they are investigating the case from multiple angles to establish facts.

Police are also collecting information from the orphans in the Ashram.