Self-styled 'godman' forces men into unnatural sex, arrested

A self-proclaimed godman was arrested in Maharashtra for allegedly making his male followers engage in unnatural sexual acts with each other, police said today.

Asif Noori (38) was arrested from a neighbouring district and brought here last night, Parbhani Superintendent of Police Dilip Zalake said.

"We received a complaint on Friday from a few citizens after video and audio clips of him allegedly forcing male followers into unnatural sex were circulated on social media," he said.

Unsuspecting victims from different parts of the state used to seek Noori's help in solving their personal problems. However, the self-styled godman made them indulge in unnatural sex with each other for vicarious pleasure, said Ashok Ghorband, Senior Inspector of Kotwali here.

Noori was staying in a madrasa at Darga Road here in the Marathwada region of the state.

As the madrasa was allegedly used for the act, an offence under IPC section 295 (defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) will be registered against Noori, he said.

The arrest comes days after the Supreme Court reserved its judgement on IPC section 377, which prohibits unnatural sex.

However, the victims have not been booked under this section, Ghorband said.

"Our team got information about his location yesterday and nabbed him from adjoining Buldhana district," he said.

According to officials, Noori used to target young married men from Nanded and Parbhani districts of Marathwada by claiming to possess divine powers.

He used to take the victims in a room on the pretext of performing rituals. There he would sedate them and force them to engage in unnatural sex with each other, they said.