The Interpol has issued a Blue Corner notice against fugitive self-styled godman Nithyananda, wanted in India for alleged rape and abduction, officials said on Wednesday.
Officials told IANS that the notice was issued much before on the request of Gujarat Police to locate the controversial godman. A Blue Corner notice makes it mandatory for member countries to share whereabouts of a person involved in a crime.
Nithyananda had allegedly fled India without a passport to save himself from a rape case registered against him in Karnataka.
The Ministry of External Affairs had last year cancelled Nithyananda's passport, and also "sensitised" all its foreign missions and posts to keep track of his movements.
The MEA said Nithyananda had a passport issued in 2008 with a 10-year validity but it was cancelled before 2018. Nithyananda had applied for a fresh passport, but was denied police clearance.
Recently, Ecuador denied Nithyananda's presence and said it had rejected his request for asylum.
Nithyananda's real name is Rajashekharan and he is a native of Tamil Nadu. He opened an ashram near Bengaluru in the early 2000s. His teachings were said to be based on those of Osho Rajneesh.
In 2010 a video of him in a compromising position with an actress emerged online and he was later arrested on charges of rape. He was also arrested and charge-sheeted in a separate case of rape later.
According to reports, Nithyananda is now being investigated by French authorities for alleged fraud involving $4,00,000.
Last month, an FIR was registered against Nithyananda after two girls went missing from his ashram in Ahmedabad -- Yogini Sarvagyapeetham. He was charged with kidnapping and wrongful confinement of children to make them collect donations from followers to run his ashram.
PM Modi roasts Cong, says former PM's video on 'priority for Muslims' demolishes its canards
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stepped up his offensive on the Congress and said that his plainspeak on the party’s double standards has ruffled many feathers in the INDIA bloc, so much so, that they have launched a tirade at him for speaking the truth.
CBI recovers huge cache of arms, explosives from house of Shahjahan’s relative at Sandeshkhali
The CBI on Friday afternoon conducted a raid at the residence of a relative of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas District and seized a huge cache of firearms and explosives.
Tripura records 54.47% turnout recorded till 1 PM in 2nd phase polling to East
The second phase of polling for the East Tripura Parliamentary constituency is underway amid tight security coverage, while 54.47% voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm on Friday. Voting commenced at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm. Tripura recorded the highest turnout at 36.42 per cent till 11 am.
We will implement UCC in entire country, it is 'Modi ki Guarantee': Amit Shah
Assuring that it is a 'Modi ki Guarantee' (PM Modi's guarantee), Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the government led by the BJP will implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across the country.
Should re-election be held with fresh candidates if NOTA gets a majority? SC issues notice to EC
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a plea seeking directions to the Election Commission (EC) to frame guidelines or rules, if in any election, all the contesting candidates individually do not surpass NOTA.
Trinamool’s corruption has taken away happiness of 26,000 families, says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday slammed the Mamata government, saying that the massive corruption unleashed by Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has ultimately resulted in the loss of peace and happiness of around 26,000 families in the state.
Nearly 15 voters injured in bee attack during balloting in Tripura
Around 15 voters, including women, were injured when a swarm of bees attacked the electorate, who were in the queue to cast their votes on Friday at Barabill area of Tripura's Khowai district.
SC dismisses pleas seeking mandatory EVM-VVPAT tally
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a batch of petitions seeking mandatory cross-verification of the votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.