Swami Poornananda, the 63-year-old head of the Swami Gnanananda Ashram, was accused of raping a minor in 2012. This is the second charge brought against him, according to the police.

June 20, 2023 2:30 pm IST

Swami Poornananda, a 64-year-old unmarried man, is highly educationally qualified.Hyderabad:

A minor girl who went missing from an ashram in Visakhapatnam has told the Disha police station, which looks into crimes against women in Andhra Pradesh, that Swami Poornananda repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped her in the ashram, Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivekananda told NDTV.

The girl is said to have been living in the ashram since 2016, and reportedly went missing on June 13. The police registered a missing case and had examined CCTV footage on June 15.

The Andhra Pradesh police said an earlier complaint in 2012 by another minor of rape against the same seer is under trial. It isn’t yet clear how the ashram had children when the rape case was under trial, and if he had a licence to keep children.Powered By

12 children live in the ashram, and four of them are girls.

Swami Poornananda, a 64-year-old unmarried man, is highly educationally qualified, with a double master’s degree, B. Ed., and law degrees. He allegedly has a history of abuse. 

The police said that there are multiple cases against him, and he is also said to be involved in land disputes. The 9.5 acres of ashram land is also under dispute. Poornananda reportedly told the police that the cases against him are motivated by those eying the land.