The 71-year-old head of a sect movement is – like other suspects – in police custody. It is said that 26 women were freed from the group’s clutches.
The 71-year-old leader of an international yoga sect, who allegedly sexually abused women, was arrested in France. In addition to the group’s head, who has Romanian and Swedish nationality, 40 other people suspected of being responsible for its cult movement were detained in police custody, investigators said on Tuesday. Additionally, 26 women victims of sexual abuse were released.
The women were housed in very cramped and unhygienic conditions. They were mentally manipulated into accepting sex with the guru or participating in pornographic chats. The International Yoga Association had previously excluded the movement called Atman (formerly Misa) in 2008 because of illegal business practices.
Women appointed yoga guru
Several women of different nationalities who managed to escape reported the yoga guru. The French Public Prosecutor’s Office began an investigation last July.
It accuses those arrested of, among other things, kidnapping by an organized gang, which can be punished by up to 30 years in prison. The suspects were arrested in the metropolitan region of Paris and in the Alpes-Maritimes department, in the south of France. (APA/AFP)