Mathura: A 29-year-old mechanical engineer, who passed out from IIT-Roorkee, has been arrested in Mathura for posing as a spiritual guru, sexually exploiting young women, and using photographs and videos of the acts to blackmail them and their families.
According to the police, the accused, identified as Abhishek Mishra of Odisha, operated under the alias “Adikarta Narayan Das.”
“He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Roorkee, where he studied between 2017 and 2021. Police acted on a formal complaint lodged by a young woman from Chhattisgarh and placed Mishra under arrest. A case of rape has since been registered against him,” an official said, as reported by NDTV.
Mishra posed as a Kathavachak, or religious storyteller, and lived in the Radhakunj area of Mathura for about four years. He ran a YouTube channel called “Radha Kripa Amrita,” through which he broadcast sermons in both Hindi and English, to widen his reach. He also maintained a professional profile on LinkedIn under
his assumed name.
He used these platforms not merely to build a following but to identify and target young women, particularly those with engineering backgrounds, the police said.
Mishra would allegedy establish contact with women through his videos and then gradually manipulate them into cutting ties with their families and moving in with him. Around 24 young men and women were living together at his Mathura residence at one point.
Once women were under his influence, he would propose a Gandharva Vivah, one of the eight classical types of Hindu marriage based on love, mutual consent, and use this as a pretext for exploitation, the police said. He gave victims milk laced with intoxicants under the pretence of offering ‘Prasad’ before sexually assaulting them and recording the acts, it has been alleged.
The police have accessed obscene photographs and videos from his mobile phone are they are now part of the investigation.
Investigation has revealed that Mishra allegedly extorted money from the families of those living with him and made repeated attempts to draw in other young women from the surrounding neighbourhood.
About six months before his arrest, the family of one of the women came to take her home. Mishra and his associates created a ruckus, police sources said.
Mishra’s mother used to live with him initially but eventually left the residence owing to her son’s conduct, according to the police. While Mishra first lived in rented accommodation in the area, he later built his own house.
An investigation is currently underway to establish precisely how many women were targeted and exploited by the accused.