Surat: Police on Sunday took the custody of self-styled godman Asaram's son Narayan Sai in connection with a case in which he is accused of hatching a conspiracy to bribe police officials and others to weaken the rape case filed against him.
Narayan, who is accused of sexually assaulting a girl at his ashram during 2002 and 2005, is currently lodged in Lajpor jail here. "We have taken custody of Narayan Sai after obtaining a warrant and shown him re-arrested in the case of attempt to give bribe to police and others to weaken the original rape case," police said.
Narayan was remanded in judicial custody on Thursday by a local court following expiry of his 14-day custody in the sexual assault case. He is likely to be produced before the court tomorrow where police might seek his remand in the bribery case.
During the earlier remand period of Narayan, city crime branch had unearthed a plan, allegedly hatched by him, to bribe police, doctors and even judicial officers to make the rape case against him less stringent. Police had arrested six persons, including five aides of Narayan and a sub-inspector C K Kumbhani, on December 13 and seized Rs 5 crore from their possession.
After evading arrest for nearly two months, Narayan was arrested earlier this month by Delhi cops from Delhi-Haryana border on December 3. He was brought to Surat on December 4. Two city-based sisters had lodged complaints against Narayan and his father Asaram of rape, sexual assault, illegal confinement and other charges.
Narayan was booked under various sections of IPC including rape, unnatural sex, molestation, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, rioting armed with deadly weapon, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.
In her complaint, the younger of the two sisters had accused Narayan of repeated sexual assaults between 2002 and 2005 when she was living at his Surat ashram. The elder sister, in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 1997 and 2006 during the time she was living at his ashram on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
Asaram (72) is currently lodged in a Jodhpur jail after being arrested in September for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl at his Jodhpur ashram
