Police probe centred around app used by ‘godman’ to access victims’ phone cameras, personal data

Police have seized the electronic devices of the accused and are probing how many victims he had targeted using the application.

A FIR in the case was registered on Friday based on a complaint bya 39-year-old real estate developer.

Police have arrested Prasad Bhimrao Tamdar (29) alias Prasad Dada, a resident of Swami Samarth building in Sus Gaon, who has been remanded to police custody.

Police probe revealed that the accused was operating an establishment called “Brahmand Nayak Matha” and claimed to provide supernatural solutions to financial, personal, marital and health issues of his followers.

Police said that the accused has over 1.5 lakh followers on various social media platforms where he regularly posted videos about his purported healing powers.

“The focus of our probe is an application that is used for surveillance and to gain remote access to the devices. This is a particular paid application which has its versions for personal and business uses. This app remains hidden on the target phone or device. Various versions of the application are used for parental control and by companies for remote access, file transfer and tracking. We will be contacting the company who has developed this application and seeking information on how many target devices the accused had obtained remote access to,” said an officer who is part of the probe.

The officer added, “The accused used to ask the victims to hand over their phones and give passwords on the pretext of downloading a compass application saying it was tracking ‘planets of the victims.’ Along with the compass application, he also used to download the remote access and surveillance. The accused holds an MCom degree and has a lot of following among both men and women.” the officer added.

The complainant in the case had approached the accused in November last year to find a solution for his financial issues. At the time the accused gave the victim a chain of beads and asked him to chant a mantra.

The accused also pressured the victim into giving the cell phone and password and said that it was downloading a “compass” application on the phone to get information about the victim’s ruling planets (grahas)”.

Police said that the accused later told the victim that there were serious “flaws in his planets”, and that he will give supernatural remedies to these flaws.

A few days after this, the accused called the victim to his place and sexually assaulted him. A week later, the victim was asked to perform a sexual act in front of the phone cameras claiming it was for “identifying flaws in his planets”.

Police have invoked the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013 and Information Technology Act, along with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions 318 (4) for cheating and 75(1) for sexual harassment.