LUCKNOW: Hardoi police have arrested self-styled spiritual guru Pradeep Shukla, 64, known as ‘Kali Sarkar’, for allegedly evading criminal proceedings in cases registered more than three decades ago by assuming a new identity and getting himself recorded as dead in official documents.Police said Shukla, who later used the name Satyanand Shukla alias Kali Sarkar, was wanted in cases registered in Hardoi in 1993 and 1998, involving allegations of robbery and assault.Permanent arrest warrants were issued after he repeatedly failed to appear in court.Efforts to trace him were hampered because official records listed him as deceased.SP Ashok Meena said Shukla fled Hardoi and surfaced in Jhansi, where he established a temple in Kuraincha village. He built a large following through weekend Divya Darbar gatherings and claimed he could cure illnesses and solve personal problems through spiritual powers.Police said he projected himself as a healer and drew crowds seeking blessings and solutions.Police further informed that devotees travelled from other states and abroad. Shukla was often seen in saffron robes or army-style uniforms and carried a stick.His Instagram account under the name Kali Sarkar had more than one lakh followers. Police detained him from the Jhansi temple on October 10, but he was released after authorities could not immediately produce the old case records in court.Following verification and correction of the records, police arrested him again on Tuesday night. He was produced before a court on Wednesday.The arrest comes amid a separate case recently registered against Shukla over allegations that he sexually abused a 12-year-old boy.Acting on a complaint by the child’s grandfather, police alleged Shukla befriended the minor, took him to several cities, abused him and threatened him against disclosing the alleged abuse.The allegations are under investigation.
About The Author
