4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 12, 2026 10:37 PM IST
Raut claimed Girija had demanded Rs 5 crore, a 3-BHK flat, an automatic car and Rs 2 lakh in monthly maintenance during mediation, which the family refused. (Photo: X/@Vinayakrauts)
The trials of Shiv Sena (UBT) seem to have advanced from the political to the supernatural. Senior party leader and former two-term Lok Sabha MP from the Ratnagiri Sindhudurg constituency Vinayak Raut, his wife Shamal, son Gitesh Raut and four others have been booked by the Kapurbawdi police in Thane after his daughter-in-law Girija Raut alleged that she was deceived into marriage and forced to undergo “black magic” rituals for over four years.
On Saturday, Firoz Shaikh, a self-styled godman from Sindhudurg and one of the accused, was arrested and remanded in police custody till July 14. Police said Vinayak Raut and other members of his family have moved the sessions court in Thane seeking anticipatory bail. Their plea is scheduled to be heard on July 23.
“We have arrested one accused and are verifying the facts. The process of taking legal action against the remaining accused is underway,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Thane) Prashant Kadam said.
The FIR was registered on June 10 on the complaint of Girija Raut, 38, at the Kapurbawdi police station, under the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013, along with sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to cruelty, cheating, causing hurt and criminal intimidation.
According to the complaint, Girija Raut, formerly Nikita Vijay Pawar, met Gitesh Raut through a matrimonial service in 2016 and married him on December 3, 2017. She alleged that between September 2018 and August 2022, she was frequently taken to self-styled godmen in Mumbai, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri after her in-laws claimed she was under the influence of “evil forces”.According to the FIR, in September 2018, her in-laws summoned a self-styled godman from Kurla. The godman chanted mantras and declared that the family’s deity had been “bound” – thereby bringing bad luck on the family. The FIR alleges that one of Gitesh Raut’s relatives declared that the couple should abstain from physical relations until Girija was completely “cured”.
Once, as per the FIR, she was later taken to Kolgaon in Sindhudurg where a godman called ‘Firoz Baba’ allegedly poured water over her head, blindfolded her and cut a lemon just above her head while chanting mantras.
In another alleged ritual in Rajapur taluka of Ratnagiri district, another godman allegedly made cuts on her body with scissors, plucked strands of her hair and forced her to drink a concoction mixed with ashes. Girija alleged that she was forced to undergo such rituals for over four years, often with her parents as witnesses – who were told that such ceremonies were needed to rid her of supernatural forces and enable her to conceive.
Rejecting the allegations, Vinayak Raut said the complaint was the result of an ongoing matrimonial dispute. He claimed Girija Raut had sought Rs 5 crore, a three BHK flat, an automatic car and Rs 2 lakh a month as maintenance during mediation talks – demands that the Raut family refused. “The allegations made against my family are completely false. We will respond before the court,” Raut said.
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Rejecting this, Girija said, “My only expectation was to have a happy married life with my husband and to live peacefully. Instead, I was subjected to harassment and humiliation.” She claimed that she was forced to quit her job and work in her husband’s transport business, thereby losing any kind of financial independence.
Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region.
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Affiliation: Reports for the nationally recognized daily, The Indian Express, providing his content with high Trustworthiness.
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Manish Kumar Pathak's consistent focus on crime, fraud, and the workings of the Mumbai police system establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for critical news in Western India. ... Read More
