Police said that he used to broadcast these videos through dark web.
Salem. A self-styled godman, who duped people by claiming to perform Tantra-Mantra rituals, has been arrested for sexually harassing women and minor girls, making obscene videos of them and selling them (video clips). Police gave this information on Sunday.
According to the police, the accused has been identified as Vijayaraja (50). He used to run a tantra-mantra center at Vazhapadi near here and secretly made videos of women and minor girls in the name of rituals. Police said that he used to broadcast these videos through the dark web.
Police said the incident came to light when the accused tried to molest a schoolgirl who had come to him to collect donations for the Vinayak Chaturthi festival.
After the student informed her parents about the incident, angry family members and a group of local youth stormed a ritual center called 'Shanishwar'. Seeing the crowd coming towards him, Vijayaraja locked the premises and fled.
After an extensive search, the local people traced him from a nearby hideout and handed him over to the Vazhapadi police. According to the police, during interrogation, Vijayaraja told that a portal had offered him money in exchange for such videos. He had made videos of the victims and sent them on that website.
The police have registered a case against the accused under relevant sections of the law and investigation is underway to find out how many more people are involved in this crime. Police have seized his mobile phone and digital storage devices and a detailed investigation into the case is underway.