Amritsar, May 21: The head priest of a temple in Amritsar and his accomplice have been arrested by Punjab police for allegedly holding two women captive and raping them repeatedly. The prime accused was identified as Mahant Girdhari Nath, head priest of Guru Gyan Nath Ashram Valmiki Tirath in Ramtirth Complex. The arrests came after the police rescued the two women after raiding the temple on May 18. Madhya Pradesh Shocker: Father Allegedly Rapes 18-Year-Old Daughter Twice During Coronavirus Lockdown in Morena.

The victims had met Mahant Girdhari Nath to complain about his disciples Suraj Nath and Nachhatar Nath and tell him that they had raped them. They were then held captive and Nath and another senior priest Varinder Nath sexually assaulted them, The Quint reported. During the confinement, one of the women hold of a mobile phone at the Ashram and inform her family in Batala, Gurdaspur. Rajasthan Shocker: Woman Gang-Raped in Govt School Premises Where She Stayed During Lockdown.

Subsequently, a letter was written to Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes member Tarsem Singh Sialka who brought the matter before the police. Acting on Sialka’s complaint, the Amritsar Police SSP Vikramjeet Singh Duggal dispatched a team led by SP Amandeep Kaur and DSP Sahota to raid the temple. "We raided the complex on the basis of a complaint filed by Tarsem Singh Sayalka and have arrested two accused," DSP Atari Guru Pratap Singh told India Today.

While Girdhari Nath and Varinder Nath were arrested, Suraj Nath and Nachhatar Nath managed to flee. The accused have been booked under Sections 376, 379, 506 of Indian Penal Code. Possible hideouts of the absconding accused were being raided.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 21, 2020 08:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).