Bengaluru: A 56-year-old yoga instructor, who allegedly raped his minor student multiple times on the apparent pretext of getting her national recognition and career placement opportunities, was arrested earlier this week after the survivor, now 19, became pregnant.The accused was taken into custody on Sept 15 and will be produced in court Friday.In her complaint, the survivor said the sexual abuse began in Nov 2023, when she — then aged 17 — accompanied the accused to Thailand for a yoga competition. She alleged that he raped her during the trip, forcing her to withdraw from the event. Despite this, she later joined his institute for training in 2024, and the assault continued, with the most recent episode occurring on Aug 22 this year, she claimed.The crime came to light after the survivor discovered her pregnancy and approached cops. In her complaint, she named six-seven other girls whom the accused had allegedly abused, even as police were yet to receive any additional complaints.The accused went on the run after the FIR was registered on Aug 30 under BNS Sections 69 (sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means) and 75 (sexual harassment), and relevant provisions of Pocso Act, 2012. He was eventually arrested on Sept 15 and underwent a medical examination. DCP (west) S Girish said cops seized two cellphones and recovered video evidence allegedly showing the accused harassing a woman. Police performed a mahazar at the scene of the alleged crime. The probe was assigned to ACP Bharath S Reddy of Byatarayanapura sub-division, given its sensitive nature.
