Godman sent to police custody for six days in MCOCA case

Delhi police today secured permission from a court in New Delhi to interrogate self-styled godman Shiv Murat Dwivedi for six days in their custody after arresting him under the stringent provisions of MCOCA for allegedly running a prostitution racket.

Delhi police on Tuesday secured permission from a court in New Delhi to interrogate self-styled godman Shiv Murat Dwivedi for six days in their custody after arresting him under the stringent provisions of MCOCA for allegedly running a prostitution racket.

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Additional Sessions Judge SK Sarwaria sent Dwivedi alias Ichchadhari Sant Swami Bhimanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakootwale in police custody till March 15 to get information about his properties and apprehend his associates allegedly involved in running the multi-crore sex racket.

Police sought 15 days remand of the accused on the ground that he would have be taken to various places like Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring Noida to get details about the racket.

Dwivedi's counsel opposed the police plea saying he had already remained in their custody for five days.

The investigators, however, told the court the accused was re-arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) today and they required to interrogate him afresh.

The police also alleged that Dwivedi was involved in four cases under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and one case of robbery.

Police suspect Dwivedi was in close touch with some notorious pimps and two others who were arrested in November 2008 and was running the racket along with them.

The godman was alleged to have earned crores of rupees through the sex racket. Half-a-dozen diaries were recovered from Dwivedi's possession which reportedly contains a large number of names, including those of some politicians.