The godman ran his prostitution business, clients often flew down to Delhi and stayed in five-star hotels. Police acting on a tip off that some pimps and sex workers were coming to Saket, nabbed the gang including the godman. By Pallab Ghosh
With the arrest of a self styled ‘godman’, Shiv Murat Dwivedi (39), the Delhi Police claimed to have busted a sex racket going on for over 10 years in the capital. Acting on a tip off the police sent a sub-inspector as a decoy customer. As expected the ‘godman’ alongwith his associate Pravin Kumar and a group of six call girls arrived at PVR, Saket in a Honda City. The police arrested them after an initial soliciting. Pravin, a pimp allures young girls staying away from home.
The ‘godman’s’ disciples call him Ichchadhari Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot Wale. Dwivedi comes from Chitrakoot in UP. He came to Delhi in 1988. ”He started working as a security guard at the Park Royal in Nehru Place and later shifted to a massage parlour in Lajpat Nagar. In 1997, he was arrested for being involved in prostitution. He was again arrested for receiving stolen property in 1998,” said Dhaliwal. He was based at a Sai Baba temple in Badarpur and gradually started a flourishing flesh trade racket in the guise of leading a spiritual life. It was then that Dwivedi disguised himself as a ‘godman’ and a disciple of Sai Baba. Dwivedi has numerous names – Shiva alias Shinanada alias Parmananda alias Swami alias Swami Bhimananda Maharaj alias Ichhadhari the list is quite big.
Dwivedi, who has his network in his native place runs parallel ashrams in Chitrakoot and has constructed a 200 bed hospital. According to sources his daily income is estimated at nearly 1.5 lack. “He was building a two storied temple at Khanpur and has a lavish ashram in Devli Village”, added Dhaliwal. Dwivedi’s hose in Mohhamdpur, north west Delhi was also under the scanner of the police.
The incident came as shock for the followers of the ‘godman’ who were unaware of his antecedents and throng the ashram to participate in the regular activities of the ashram. “It is difficult to accept that such a dirty game was played in this ashram in the name of religion and we bestowed all our respect totally unaware of his antecedents”, commented a female devotee on the condition of anonymity.
Police conducted a raid on the ashram and have arrested a few female in the age group of 19 to 30 years working as call girls though claiming to be the disciple of the ‘godman’. According to Dhaliwal, of the six women, two are air-hostesses (worked for an Indian carrier and another who was employed by an European airline), one an MBA student and another aspiring Bollywood actress.
Two luxurious cars, a cash of 1.5 lack along with gold jewelry, magazines and video CD titled “Shri Sai Amrit Varsha” was seized from the ashram premises.
The police are interrogating Dwivedi and Pravin at the Saket police station. The officials however did not rule out the possibility of a bigger racket involved and was trying to figure out other possible hide outs of the ‘godman’.
