Bringing an end to four days of turmoil and suspense across the State, godman Sarathi Baba alias Santosh Kumar Raul of Kendrapada was arrested by the Crime Branch police on Saturday morning. He was remanded to Choudwar jail custody in the evening by the SDJM Court here after rejecting his bail petition and allowing the police to take him on remand for three days from Sunday.
Chaotic scenes prevailed in and around the court premises when the godman was produced before the court. Angry onlookers shouted slogans against the Baba and threw shoes and chappals at him with many demanding death penalty to him for playing with the sentiments of thousands of his followers.
Earlier, Sarathi was brought to the State police headquarters by a Crime Branch team in the wee hours of the day from Kendrapada. Going through the inquiry report of the team, an officer in the rank of Additional SP drew an FIR against him booking him under various charges of cheating, criminal intimidation and conspiracy.
Many of his family members, including his adopted son and some of his associates, have been named as co-accused in the FIR which has been registered under Sections 120B, 420, 467, 471, 341, 379 and 506 of the IPC.
After over 12 hours of search in the ashram of Sarathi Baba in Kendrapada, the Crime Branch police laid their hands on some bank and property documents along with 15 kg of silver and only 50 grams of gold.
Although the State Government had ordered an inquiry into the media allegations against the Baba on Thursday afternoon, the Crime Branch team from Cuttack reached his ashram on Friday afternoon, thereby giving ample time and opportunity for the inmates to shift many incriminating documents and materials from the ashram premises, sources said.
The police also seized two swords from the ashram, for which Sarathi has been booked under Section 25 of the Arms Act and Section 7 of the Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act of 1988. The police have also slapped Section 3 of SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989 on Sarathi for allegedly insulting a Scheduled Caste person in the name of his caste in May this year.
The Crime Branch also claim to have seized around 55 kg of metallic coins with embossed picture of the accused on them. Speaking to the media here on Saturday, Crime Branch ADG BK Sharma said an FIR was registered against the Baba after the inquiry report revealed prima facie cognisable offences against him.