Balasore, Oct. 9: Police have arrested a 62-year-old self-proclaimed godman for allegedly sexually exploiting a 45-year-old woman disciple for several years.

Yesterday, the accused, Gobinda Mallick alias Thakur Baba, was sent to judicial custody.

In March, the woman had lodged a complaint against Mallick at a local court.

The arrest was made after the sub-divisional police officer investigated her complaint and a polygraph test was conducted on the accused.

After quitting his state government job, the accused had floated a voluntary organisation. Authorities have already blacklisted his organisation on charge of financial embezzlement.

Subsequently, he constructed a temple at Badagaon village in Bahanga and started a trust. It used to conduct religious events, including marriage and thread ceremonies. Then he went to Hardwar for sometime, and later on his return, he started calling himself Thakur Baba.

The woman, a resident of Bartana in the Khaira police station areas, came to know about Mallick nearly 20 years ago, when the accused was running an ashram on the temple premises at Bahanaga. Subsequently, he established physical relationship with her and the woman used to accompany him to various places. However, when she came to know that Mallick had the same kind of relationship with other women devotees as well, she protested. Confronted, Mallick allegedly started torturing her mentally and physically.

Unable to put up with the accused, the woman left the ashram and went to Dhenkikot in Keonjhar. But, the accused followed her there. She then lodged a police complaint.

Raisan Murmu, inspector in charge of Soro police station, said: “After the FIR had been lodged in March, we interrogated Mallick. But he refuted the allegations. Therefore, the polygraph test was conducted.”