‘Honeytrap’ plot surfaces against Ujjain Char Dham temple’s chief priest:Woman offered ₹50,000 to file bogus rape case

A conspiracy to blackmail Mahamandaleshwar Shanti Swaroopanand Maharaj of Ujjain’s famous Char Dham Temple by trapping him in a false rape case (honey trap) has come to light. Police have registered a case against former Mahamandaleshwar Sadhvi Mandakini Puri and Ghanshyam Patel in connection with the matter. Both are accused of plotting to level false allegations by involving a woman from Banaras. During interrogation, investigators found that Mandakini Puri and Patel had allegedly brought a woman from Banaras into the conspiracy. According to police sources, the duo planned to use the woman to implicate the seer in a fabricated rape case and then blackmail him. Officials also revealed that Mandakini Puri has previously been jailed in another case. The police are continuing their investigation to determine the full extent of the conspiracy. Threat to leak obscene photos According to Mahakal Police Station in-charge Gagan Badal, police received information on Rangpanchami that some suspicious individuals had been detained at the Datta Akhada premises. Mahant Anandpuri Maharaj handed over the individuals to the police, after which a woman was brought to the station for questioning. Police also examined video footage and other evidence. During questioning, the woman told police that on February 27, Ghanshyam Patel came to meet her in Banaras. He allegedly offered her ₹50,000 to travel to Ujjain and file a false rape complaint against Mahamandaleshwar Shanti Swaroopanand Maharaj. When the woman refused, she claimed she was threatened that her obscene photographs would be leaked. Fearing the threat, she remained in contact with Patel. He allegedly sent ₹2,000 to her son’s mobile phone and arranged her travel to Ujjain by booking a ticket through Sanjay Travels. Accused caught at akhada on Rangpanchami On March 8 (Rangpanchami), Ghanshyam Patel allegedly arrived at Datta Akhada in Ujjain with his associates. It is claimed that he was recording the woman’s statement there. At the same time, Anandpuri Maharaj, Pandit Lokesh Sharma, and Sanjay Goswami reached the premises. After learning about the matter, they immediately informed Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma, following which police initiated an investigation. After examining the woman’s statement and her mobile phone, police registered a case under serious sections of the Indian Penal Code against Sadhvi Mandakini Puri, a resident of Gadhkalika, and Ghanshyam Patel. Station in-charge Gagan Badal said the investigation is ongoing and the names of several other individuals have also surfaced. Videos of allegations surface After the FIR was registered, Ghanshyam Patel released some videos of the woman on social media in which she is seen making serious allegations against Mahamandaleshwar Shanti Swaroopanand Maharaj. A letter related to the matter was also circulated online. In response, Patel claimed that the woman, along with her associates, had conspiratorially filed a false FIR against him because he refused to air her interview and did not pay ₹1 lakh allegedly demanded as extortion. Patel further stated that the video evidence has been submitted with a certificate under Section 64C of the Act and demanded a high-level investigation into the entire case. He also called for an FIR to be registered against the woman if she is found guilty.