Godman Rampal promised innocent followers Rs 1 lakh donation would guarantee them a place in heaven

Mangalore Today News Network

Chandigarh, Nov 28, 2014: Claiming to sell salvation to unsuspecting followers, controversial godman Rampal took a cue from ponzi operators to expand his evil empire.

 

 

 

His trusted followers worked like agents and spread out far and wide to find and fleece people by peddling miracles, cures and spiritual powers.

Unlike a ponzi operation, however, Rampal did not pay any commission to his “agents”.

“Every follower was required to bring in at least three members or a family. The followers preyed on the poor and the illiterate and sold them the idea that baba possessed miraculous healing powers and could rid them of any ailment or problem," a follower told Mail Today.

Police sources said while every newcomer was free to attend a single spiritual discourse or satsang, he had to pay Rs 1,000 for the initiation process, called Naamdaan. This was done publicly, and the follower was given a Guru Mantra which was in fact the Gayatri Mantra.

Rampal would ask new followers to chant the mantra for three months. That was how a primary membership of Satlok Ashram could be obtained.

For the secondary membership, Rampal would ask his followers to get Satnaam, for which he charged Rs 9,000. Members buying Satnaam were given a better deal by Rampal and were involved in the Ashram’s activities.

Saarnaam was the third type of membership, given after a follower had spent 10 years with Rampal. He would be charged Rs 10,000 for this and would be included in the executive committee of the Satlok Ashram.

The Satlok ticket was the highest degree that a follower could aspire for and which was awarded after 15 years for one lakh rupees. Rampal and his henchmen claimed that by getting a Satlok ticket, a follower would directly land in heaven.

"Yes, it is true he used to charge Rs 1,000 initially and then Rs 9,000. But I have no knowledge about the Satlok Ticket. But he fooled people by telling them that he would send them to heaven," Superintendent of Police, Hisar, Satender Kumar Gupta told Mail Today.

FREE ELEVATION

Police investigation revealed Rampal had promised “free elevation” to higher grades during the police raid if his followers guarded his Satlok Ashram.

When the police cordoned off his Ashram he allegedly promised free ’Saarnaam’ worth Rs 10000 to every follower. The poor, who were unable to buy this ’honour’, took up this offer and guarded his fortress. Rampal has admitted during questioning that he lured followers with Saarnaam.

WHERE’S HIS MONEY?

A big mystery now is Rampal’s missing money. According to Hisar SP Satender Kumar Gupta, police has recovered Rs 3.5 lakh from Satlok Ashram besides coins weighing 90 kgs and valued at around Rs 2 lakh. Rampal’s seized bank accounts contain only Rs 24 lakh.

Unconfirmed sources said that Rampal was planning to buy land close to his ashram and had paid an advance of Rs 50 lakh to the owner. He was yet to clear ration and other bills worth several crores of rupees.

"A probe is on and we are trying to figure out the net worth of Rampal’s ashram, besides tracing his cash reserves," Satender Kumar Gupta said.

MORE GRILLING

The Haryana Police, meanwhile, are planning to bring Rampal to Betul in Madhya Pradesh to interrogate him about his ambitious plans to construct an ashram in Urdan village of the district.

According to highly-placed sources, Rampal knew the detailed plan of his under-construction ashram, which could have easily accommodated over 50,000 people at one time and had two lakes, a water filter plant, swimming pool and separate accommodation for males and females among his 10,000 sewadars.

However with his arrest, the under-construction work in his sprawling ashram has come to a grinding halt. It is spread over an area of 70 acres in Urdan village situated along the National Highway 69.

On Wednesday, some of his sewadars approached the district electricity board office and requested that power supply to his under-construction ashram should be discontinued.

There is more trouble brewing for self-styled godman Sant Rampal, as a retired teacher from Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district is approaching the Haryana Police with a complaint over his missing wife. 

Retired teacher Basant Das Nagle tried to lodge a complaint with Haryana’s Barwala Police Station after his wife, Dwarka, went “missing” during a visit to the Satlok Ashram in February 2014.

“The duo had gone to Rampal’s Barwala Ashram, hoping to cure his wife who was reportedly suffering from some mental illness,” Betul Additional Superintendent of Police Geetesh Garg said over telephone.

According to Basant, the duo left their village in Multai tehsil of Betul district to seek Rampal’s blessings and hear his ‘satsang’. Little had he imagined that the trip would turn into a nightmare.

He said: “My wife went ‘missing’ on February 28 after some sewadars (women) took Dwarka on the pretext that they will take care of her.”

He added: “I searched the area for two days. When I brought the matter to the notice of Rampal, he said that “she will be in the ashram.”

I tried to lodge a complaint at the local police station but my pleas fell on deaf ears. On March 2, I informed Barwala police station and returned to Betul.”

Basant said: “I then printed pamphlets of my missing wife, took an auto and pasted the posters in the adjoining villages and other prominent places of Hisar.”

On March 6, he again went to the ashram but could not find her. Finally, he lodged a complaint with the Barwala police, who refused to step inside the ashram.

"On March 13, I informed the Multai police station who said they would inform the Hisar police but I did not receive any message in this regard.

“I don’t know if my wife is alive after the clash between police and Rampal’s followers,” Basant said.

The Haryana Police refused to begin investigating the woman’s disappearance over the past nine months. Now, after Rampal’s arrest, the MP Police said they will extend all information and help to their Haryana counterparts.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Police is planning to bring Rampal to Betul district to interrogate him about his plans to construct an ashram in Urdan village of the district.

According to sources, Rampal knew the actual plan of his under-construction ashram, which could house over 50,000 people.