Godman held for attempt to rape US national

A self-styled godman has been arrested on charges of attempt to rape a US tourist in Rishikesh near here,police said.

Ravindra Gaikwad alias Jagannath alias Swami Shankaracharya Saraswati,who hails from Mumbai,was arrested yesterday from Chilla area of Rishikesh by a team of special operations group (SOG),they said.

The 25-year-old woman,a resident of Los Angeles,had filed a complaint with the police that a saffron-clad godman on the pretext of giving an ayurvedic massage tried to rape her on Tuesday.

Story continues below this ad

She had also lodged a complaint with the US Embassy in this regard.

Following the complaint,the SOG team had launched a manhunt to trace Gaikwad,who had been hiding since then,police said.

Last month,a British woman was allegedly gangraped in Rishikesh.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram