India: Saint arrested for raping minor girl in Magh Mela

Prayagraj: A saint, accused of raping a 14-year-old girl, has been arrested from Jhusi area by the Prayagraj police. According to reports, the accused has been identified as Sanjeev Kumar Rai a.k.a. Sanjeev Maharaj.

Police sources said that Sanjeev Maharaj had allegedly raped the girl at his camp on the Magh Mela ground on February 5.

Station House Officer (SHO), Jhusi police station Brijesh Singh said that the accused is a native of Gadwar in Ballia district.

"The accused had set up a camp under his organisation Parmarth Utthan Evam Anusandhan Sansthan on the Magh Mela ground. On February 5, the accused allegedly raped the minor girl who used to deliver flowers at his camp," the SHO said.

The girl's mother sells flowers from a makeshift shop in the Mela ground. The victim used to deliver flowers to various camps of kalpwasis around their shop. On February 5, when the girl went to Rai's camp, he allegedly convinced her to come inside and raped her. The accused called the girl inside by telling her that he wanted to give her 'prasad'.

The girl somehow managed to escape and then told her mother about the rape. Acting on a tip-off, a police team nabbed the seer from the Lotus trisection in Jhusi on Sunday.

An FIR was lodged at Jhusi police station under relevant sections of the IPC and Pocso Act on February 6 on the complaint filed by the victim's mother.