British spiritual leader who raped, cheated female follower booked by Thane cops

The accused, Wayne Smith

A 42-year-old devotee of spiritual master Meher Baba was allegedly sexually abused, cheated and repeatedly raped under false promises of marriage by a UK-based spiritual teacher. When the survivor, who hails from Mumbai, approached the police to register a case against him, they allegedly failed to do so. She then approached the Judicial Magistrate's Court, First Class, which directed them to register the offence and investigate.

A complaint has been registered with Kasarvadavli police station against Wayne Smith, a native of Manchester in the UK, under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating). The police have issued a look-out notice against him.

False promises
The survivor said, "I am a devotee of Avatar Meher Baba and have been regularly visiting his ashram in Meherabad, Ahmednagar, since 2009. In August 2015, I met Wayne at the ashram. He was a spiritual teacher. Two months later in the ashram, in front of everyone, he gave me a ring as per Meher Baba followers' beliefs, and said he would marry me.

"Later, we stayed together in a rented apartment in Thane. He told everyone he was getting a divorce from his wife in Britain, after which he would marry me. He told everyone I was his fiancée."

She said he had very little money; so, she invested hers in a flat in Pune where, she thought, they could stay together. Later, she cancelled the booking and got Rs 5 lakh back. "We used the money to roam in India and abroad at Meher Baba ashrams. For his tourist visa, he went to Nepal and took my debit card, with which he shopped for around Rs 2 lakh. Later, we went to London and other places to seek spiritual healing at various Meher Baba ashrams," she added.

The other woman
The survivor said, "In February 2017, my tourist visa expired and I came back to India. Wayne told me that he wanted to visit Baba's ashram in the US. Later, he started avoiding me; in July, he emailed me saying he had fallen in love with another woman in the US and wanted to be with her. I was shocked."

She claimed she approached the police, but they did not register her complaint. She then approached the court in Thane. "I feel victimised and like a fool, because I have to run for justice, while such people use these tactics and the name of God to make easy money. I want to teach him a lesson."

Police speak
Sub-Inspector Manish Pote of Kasarvadavli police station said, "A complaint has been registered and we have issued a look-out notice against him. We have also intimated the British embassy in this regard."

Rs 2 lakh
How much the accused shopped for with the complainant's debit card

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, current affairs from Mumbai, local news, crime news and breaking headlines here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go