VISAKHAPATANAM: A godman has been arrested for sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl after tying her in his bedroom. The police arrested Swami Poornananda (64) of Gnananda Ashram in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. For the past two years, he had been abusing the girl, who was living in an orphanage run by the ashram. All the celebrities of Andhra Pradesh are regular visitors to to the ashram.

The incident came to light when the girl escaped from the ashram and lodged a complaint against him. The girl, a native of Rajamudri in East Godavari, was entrusted to the ashram by her relatives after her parents died. In her statement to the police, the girl told police that Swami first abused her two years ago and that night he called her to his room and raped her. The girl was kept captive in Swami's bedroom for the past one year. Her statement said that he went out after chaining her in his bed.

The girl escaped from the ashram on May 23 with the help of the employees. She was brought to the police station by a woman whom she met on the way. Poornananda was arrested after the medical examination revealed that she was sexually abused. He was arrested in 2012 for abusing a minor girl who came to the ashram and was later released on bail.