Mumbai: Former cop turned spiritual guru arrested in rape case

Gokul Jadhav before his suspension; (right) Jadhav, after turning into a spiritual guru

A suspended police constable who had reinvented himself as a spiritual guru has been apprehended by the Kalwa police. Gokul Jadhav and his son Anirudh, 21, were taken into custody earlier this month in connection with a rape case. The incident reportedly occurred between January 2021 and June 2023.

The survivor, in her detailed statement to the police, said, "Eight days before our wedding, my husband and I went to purchase jewellery, where we were introduced to Jadhav - an acquaintance of my husband. He invited us to his residence in Vitawa, Thane, and offered us gold from a box but I declined to accept. He then introduced me to his wife, son and daughter, given their acquaintance with my husband."

According to the survivor's statement, her father was hospitalised in Navi Mumbai due to kidney-related issues in January 2021. Her husband, while caring for her ailing father, spent nearly two months at the hospital. During this time, Jadhav's wife Ashwini and son Anirudh visited her and accused her husband of seeing another woman. "I defended my husband, but they insisted I come to their house to see for myself," the statement reads.

During a visit to Jadhav's residence in March 2021, the woman observed various "protective items" like turmeric, kumkum and lime placed on the doorstep. Feeling anxious, she consulted Jadhav who explained that they were meant to fend off negativity and malevolent forces. He told her that her husband was in relationship with another woman who was planning to kill her. To validate his claim, he urged her to call her husband saying he "wouldn't answer". The survivor called her husband's number several times without a response, leading her to believe Jadhav's assertions.

According to her statement, Jadhav then chanted a mantra, offered her water to drink and instructed her to attend puja sessions at his home. He warned that if she refused, the woman her husband was seeing would kill her.

The survivor stated that between March 2021 and December 2022, Jadhav persistently called upon her for purported rituals. During the rituals, he administered tablets and water to her, which caused her to get drowsy. Anirudh was present during one of these rituals and in a "distressing turn of events" he was declared as her husband by Jadhav. She was then escorted to Anirudh's bedroom where he allegedly raped her against her will, justifying his actions by asserting his role as her husband.

The woman finally mustered the courage to reveal the abuse to her husband after he discovered the tablets and "water infused with tantra". He discarded the items after which she became less disoriented and regained clarity. Once her health improved, she filed a rape case against Jadhav, his wife and his son.

The Kalwa police have registered a case against the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.

"The accused have been apprehended and an investigation is underway," said K P Thorat, senior police inspector, Kalwa police station. Jadhav, once a constable with Navi Mumbai police, faced suspension a decade ago following allegations of extortion. Since then, he assumed the role of a spiritual guru. Authorities have uncovered expensive properties owned by Jadhav, leading to further investigations.