Self-styled godman held for raping minor girl under pretext of curing disease in Adilabad

Shaik Kaleem, a self-styled godman, was arrested in Adilabad for allegedly raping a minor girl under the pretext of curing her illness. Police registered a case under the POCSO Act after the girl’s parents filed a complaint.

Adilabad: A self-styled godman was arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl under the pretext of curing her illness in Adilabad town on Tuesday.

Adilabad I Town Inspector B Sunil Kumar said the accused, identified as Shaik Kaleem, a native of Maregaon in Gadiguda mandal and now settled in Adilabad, was apprehended for sexually assaulting the girl on October 11 after confining her in a room.

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Police said Kaleem lured the girl’s parents by claiming he could cure her ailment through rituals. He kept her parents away and spent the night with the girl, later threatening her with dire consequences if she revealed the incident.

Investigations also revealed that Kaleem had taken the victim to the banks of the Godavari river in Nirmal on October 9 to perform rituals before committing the assault.

Following a complaint from the girl’s parents, police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and arrested the accused.