Police on Thursday made public a spiritual leader, who was arrested from Dakshinkali, Kathmandu, on sexual abuse charges.

Guru Rinpochhe Chulthim Dorje Yontan, aka Tulku Lama, was found to be sexually abusing women followers, claiming that he had supernatural powers to heal any ailments.

The 56-year-old self-proclaimed godman had been sexually abusing women for over a decade.

“He would invite women visitors to a room, strip them naked and forcibly have sex with them,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police Pushkar Karki, chief of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB). “He would threaten those women to not disclose the incident to anyone, citing his influence. He would also warn them against having sex with anyone else, saying that they would immediately die if they do so.”

The CIB launched an investigation into the case after a woman filed a complaint, saying that she had been repeatedly raped by Lama over years after she first approached him seeking treatment to an allergic reaction in her body. In her statement to police, the woman has said that “Lama would strip her naked and perform some kind of ritual”. She has stated that she was first raped two weeks into what Lama claimed a ‘therapy’.

The incident came to light only recently, after the woman revealed her ordeal to her family members who reported it to the CIB.

A special CIB team had approached Lama in his monastery, claiming to be his disciples and arrested him. Lama had even posted pictures of some of the victims on social media, police said.

“This is a serious case of sexual assault and it runs deep. We suspect more women might have been subjected to sexual harassment at the hands of Lama. But they dread to open up over fears that godman might harm them,” said DIG Karki.

The CIB said they are planning counseling sessions for the victims with support from Nepal Police Hospital.