Kerala's unholy men

On tourist brochures, the southern Indian state of Kerala markets itself as 'God's Own Country'. But now, some godmen in the state are finding that they can't really have the run of the place.

The state government is on a hunt for men who have been accused of a host of crimes, including rape, molest and fraud.

It started with the arrest last month of Santhosh Madhavan, 35, who is also known as Swami Athmachaitanya.

Madhavan, 35, has been charged with the rape of a teenage girl, possession of marijuana and cheating a businesswoman.

During raids on his premises, a tiger skin and a large number of pornographic films and a police officer's uniform were found.

He is accused of cheating a Dubai-based Kerala businesswoman, MrsSerafin Edwin, of 4.5 million rupees ($145,000) in 2002.

She alleged in her complaint that she met the godman in Dubai and agreed to start a business with him. But after she gave him the money, he disappeared. She filed a case against him in Dubai and Interpol issued an arrest warrant.

His arrest on 13May came after a week-long drama that included his surrender to the police earlier and then release for 'lack of evidence'.

FROM PRIEST TO BUSINESS

Born to a poor family, Madhavan started as a temple priest, but soon switched to astrology and real estate business.

Police who raided his guest house found documents regarding several land deals, some of them suspected to be illegal.

Some of the obscene CDs, reports say, are hidden camera recordings of his 'VIP guests in action on the bed'.

Many politicians and police officials who appear on Madhavan's photo albums have quickly distanced themselves from him. A deputy superintendent of police has been suspended for being too close to him.

This officer is said to have helped Madhavan oversee his wedding arrangements last year.

The state government has ordered a detailed inquiry into his wealth.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court has ordered him placed in police custody till 17Jun.

Three complaints of rape have since been filed against the godman by three underaged girls.

They alleged that they were forced into sexual relations with him and appeared in a pornographic video.

Recounting how she met him, MrsEdwin told the Khaleej Times: 'A friend of mine had introduced Santosh Madhavan to me saying that he was an astrologer and had supernatural powers.

'When I visited him, he gave me a ring studded with stones. He convinced me later that he will help me buy a hotel in Deira (Dubai).'

The godman was then running a high-profile ashram in Kochi, Kerala, that was allegedly frequented by top politicians, police officials and film stars.

Even after India's Central Bureau of Investigation issued a warrant many months ago, he was not immediately arrested by the state police.

Why did Mrs Edwin remain silent all these years?

She claimed that she had received threatening calls from Kerala to withdraw the complaint.

But things changed when a local magazine article appeared.

The magazine named Madhavan as an alleged gun-runner who is wanted by the Indian federal police in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. It alleged that Madhavan was living under a new identity as a godman in Kerala.

When the police, under pressure from the media and certain political parties, launched an enquiry, they found that Madhavan, who had turned himself into Swami Amritachaitanya, was not the gun-runner but the man wanted by the Dubai Police for the 2002 cheating case.

After the article appeared, MrsEdwin flew to Kerala and told the police that Madhavan even tried to kill her in Dubai after she demanded that he return her money.

He is alleged to have also visited Bahrain and Qatar and collected money from unsuspecting Indians working there.

'Madhavan came to Bahrain at least three times in the last five years,' one victim in Bahrain, who did not want to be identified, told the Gulf Daily News.

'He held talks and seminars on spirituality and told people to invest in a hill resort he was building in Kerala. He also made us believe that he was a social worker and was planning to start a charity institution in Kerala.'

The man alleged that Madhavan asked those who attended his talks to invest in a charity project. He is alleged to have raised at least 60,000 Bahraini dinars ($220,000) from Bahrain residents.

The Peninsula newspaper reported that Madhavan allegedly collected four million Qatari riyals ($1.5m) from Indian professionals, who were offered shares in hotels, resort projects and other profit-making ventures in Kerala. - AP