BELAGAVI, 19 DEC

A special POCSO court in Belagavi on Friday found a Hindu religious seer guilty of abducting and raping a minor girl after luring her into his car on the pretext of dropping her home and stated that the sentence would be pronounced on Saturday.

The accused has been identified as Hathayogi Lokeshwar Mahaswami, 30, a resident of Mekhali village in Raybag taluk.

According to the prosecution, the accused on 13 May, 2025, asked the minor girl to accompany him in his car on the pretext of dropping her home. He then abducted her and travelled via Mahalingpur to Bagalkot, and from there to Mantralayam in Andhra Pradesh. 

On 14 May, he booked a room at a lodge in Mantralayam and forcibly sexually assaulted the girl. He again returned to the Bagalkot district on 16 May, booked another lodge room, and committed sexual assault there as well. He later dropped the girl at the Mahalingpur bus stand, threatening to kill her if she disclosed the incident.

Sub-Inspector Raju from Mudalagi police station in Belagavi registered the case, while Inspector Srishail Byakod conducted the investigation and submitted the chargesheet to the Additional District and Sessions Court and Special Fast Track POCSO Court–01, Belagavi.

Judge CM Pushpalatha, hearing the case, found Sri Hathayogi Lokeshwar Mahaswami guilty and adjourned the verdict to 20 December.