A US-based Hindu priest has been arrested in Oshawa, Canada, after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman during a religious healing ceremony, police said.
The accused has been identified as 50-year-old Rajendranauth Doodnauth Maraj of Richmond Hill, New York. According to Durham Regional Police, the woman and her family had hired Maraj to travel from the United States to Canada to conduct a Hindu religious ceremony.
Police allege that Maraj told the woman she was possessed by evil spirits and convinced her that she needed a specific ceremony to rid herself of them.
Investigators said Maraj allegedly exploited the woman’s trust in him as a religious figure and took her to a private location. He allegedly sexually assaulted her there while claiming that he was performing the healing ceremony.
Officers from the East Division responded to a report of sexual assault on Tuesday, August 25, in the area of Harmony Road North and Conlin Road East.
Maraj was subsequently taken into custody.
