A 50-year-old Hindu pandit (priest) visiting from the United States faces criminal charges in Canada after allegedly exploiting a family’s spiritual trust to commit sexual assault.
Durham Regional Police arrested Rajendranauth Doodnauth Maraj, of Indian descent and a resident of New York, following an investigation into an incident in Oshawa, Ontario.
Authorities reported that an Oshawa family had hired Maraj to travel to Canada to conduct a traditional religious ceremony at their home.
Investigators state that Maraj used his position as a spiritual guide to manipulate a female member of the household.
He allegedly convinced the woman that evil spirits possessed her and claimed that a specialized healing ritual was necessary to cleanse her.
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Police report that Maraj then led the woman away to a private location under the pretext of performing the cleansing process.
Once separated from her family, he allegedly sexually assaulted her under the guise of administering the ritual.
Following the victim’s report, Durham Regional Police took Maraj into custody in a short time after the complaint was filed.
According to the officials, he has now been charged with one count of sexual assault and held for a bail hearing in Ontario court.
The authorities however expressed concern that this was not a onetime thing. They suspected additional victims could exist due to the suspect’s travels and role as a traveling faith practitioner.
Detectives from the Durham Regional Police Special Victims Unit posted his picture on their official website and are urging anyone who may have had similar experiences or possessed information about the suspect to contact law enforcement immediately.