'Marry me and your mother's mental illness will be cured'

Raju Appa Salve

On the pretext of curing a senior citizen 'possessed by a spirit', an electrician, pretending to be a godman tricked her 23-year-old daughter, an IT engineer, into marrying him in a temple and tried to force himself on her. He has been arrested by the Khadak Police, who are investigating the case.

This incident came to light on Tuesday evening, when the software techie lodged a complaint of manhandling and molestation against Raju Appa Salve, 42, a resident of Ghorpadi Peth.

The woman lives in a posh area of Pune with her elderly mother and elder brother. In her statement to the police, the woman said, "Salve had come to our house on March 2 to repair some faulty wiring and he saw my mother who is mentally ill. He had my number in case we needed his services in future, so a few days later, he called and told me that he was a godman and could cure my mother."

She added, "I was desperate for a cure for my mother's illness and was willing to try anything. He came to our house and performed some pujas and later informed us that my mother had been possessed by a spirit and in order to release her from its clutches I would have to perform a ritual in the traditional way. He said the ritual required me to wear a bridal sari. He then took me in an auto to Mandara Devi temple."

She said, "He had taken Rs 5,500 from me to perform the rituals and at the temple he told me that I would have to marry god in order for my mother to be cured. During the rituals, he put a garland and mangalsutra around my neck. He even made me write on a piece of paper that I had married him. I was not thinking straight as I only had my mother's illness on my mind."

Inspector (Crime) Sambhaji Shinde of Khadak Police station, said, "The woman said that Salve started demanding sexual relations with her, claiming they were now married. He even molested her once and the woman somehow freed herself and rushed home. She then approached us."

Shinde added, "It looks like the accused, Salve, took a liking to the girl and came up with this plan to trap her and earn some extra money. He is unmarried and unemployed. We are checking if he has committed similar crimes before."

Also read: 7-year-old girl brutally raped by godman, said to be in critical condition

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