Chandrapur, September 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A 27-year-old married woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man posing as a spiritual healer during a ritual purportedly conducted to address her husband’s recurring health problems in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, police said on Monday.
The incident took place on August 30 in the Bhisi police station area of Chimur tehsil, according to Chandrapur Additional Superintendent of Police Ishwar Katakade.
Police said the woman’s husband had been suffering from repeated health problems, which the family attributed to ‘Grah Dosh’, an astrological belief associated with unfavourable planetary positions in a person’s birth chart.
The family subsequently approached Shubham Latari Khangar, who allegedly claimed to be a ‘Maharaj’ associated with the Jagannath Maharaj Bhadrabhesh temple.
According to police, Khangar went to the woman’s house along with his associates Sachin Modak and Tejas Walkate to conduct a puja. During the ritual, the woman’s husband was allegedly sent outside to bring items required for the ceremony.
Police allege that Khangar then sexually assaulted the woman when she was alone.
Following the woman’s complaint, Bhisi police arrested all three accused. The main accused, 26-year-old Khangar, was arrested along with Modak and Walkate.
A case has been registered under Sections 64(1), 351(3) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is being conducted by Bhisi Police Inspector Mangesh Bhogale.
The three accused are currently in police custody, police said.
The case has again drawn attention to the exploitation of superstition and religious beliefs by individuals claiming to possess spiritual or healing powers.
In a separate case in Maharashtra, a court in Palghar district sentenced a man to death on August 8 for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in Dahanu taluka in 2021.
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