Post News Network
Bhapur, March 24: Police Monday arrested Dharmananda Pati, a self-styled godman belonging to Shalajharia under Khandapada police station in Nayagarh district, on the charge of abetting the suicide of a local trader. He was later produced in a court.
According to reports, Mahendra Maharana had committed suicide at his cloth store in Bahada market under Fategarh police station Saturday night. In a suicide note, he had mentioned that Dharmanada was responsible for his suicide. Dharmananda had taken Rs 5 lakh from Mahendra on the promise of giving him gold bricks which would bring him ‘good fortune’. However, Dharmananda did not give him the gold bricks. Whenever Mahendra approached him for the bricks, Dharmananda threaten him with life. Having given away all his savings to Dharmananda, Mahendra lost his mental balance and committed suicide, the note stated.
A probe was conducted after Mahendra’s wife Jayanti lodged a complaint with Fategarh police Sunday.
During investigation, the police came to know that Dharmananda was staying in Bahada with his wife and children after buying a house there. He worked as a land broker and used to dupe people by selling Hanuman coins. He possessed three brass bricks with gold coating on them. Dharmananda used to lure people into buying the ‘gold bricks’ saying that these would bring ‘good fortune’ to them.
Police seized the fake gold bricks, swords, knives and other sharp-edged weapons, a mobile phone, two motorcycles and a car from Dharmananda’s possession.
Police said Dharmananda had recorded obscene videos of his woman devotees on his mobile phone. Flaunting his connections with anti-socials, the self-styled godman used to terrorise people, the police added.
Meanwhile, the police have launched a manhunt to arrest Dharmananda’s associates.