She Went to India for Love — and Ended Up in a House Where Women Were Held as Prisoners! Love SCAM

She Went to India for Love — and Ended Up in a House Where Women Were Held as Prisoners! Love SCAM

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Upon arrival in Chennai, her last online activity was recorded on the evening of March 25th.

After that, all messengers fell silent.

One post appeared on her personal page.

A photo of the airport with the caption, “I’m here.

Happiness inside.

” As it later turned out, this photo had been planned in advance and posted automatically through an app.

Sophia’s parents contacted the Polish police 3 days later when their daughter had not been in touch and her phone was no longer accepting incoming calls.

A request was sent to the Indian police via Interpol, but this happened after Sahil had already taken her to the house.

Over the next 12 days, she never left the premises.

According to the interrogation of other women in the house, each of them arrived in a similar scenario.

Correspondence, romance, promises of love, and an invitation to India.

Each woman was told that they would live in a house with spiritual practices and that during the first two weeks it was recommended that they immerse themselves in silence and detachment from the outside world.

During this period their passports and phones were taken away under the pretext of spiritual purification.

It was claimed that this was part of the practice but almost immediately isolation began.

Contact between the women was strictly limited.

Violators were locked in a separate room.

Those who resisted were subjected to psychological pressure and physical punishment.

Some testified to sexual abuse by teachers, including Sahil.

At that point, the police did not know what they were dealing with.

A crime wrapped in esotericism or an organized human trafficking system.

But soon the investigation uncovered an organization registered in the Indian state of Utarakand, the Shanti Parmam Foundation which operated eight spiritual centers across India.

The house in Chennai was one of them but its address was not listed in official documents.

This allowed it to evade scrutiny for a long time.

By that time Sahil had refused to testify citing his right to remain silent.

His lawyer claimed that his actions did not go beyond spiritual practices and that all women were there voluntarily.

But the seized video recordings, documents, and testimonies of foreign women told a different story.

The investigation was just getting started.

Behind the facade of a spiritual center was a system with a clear hierarchy, wellorganized logistics, and a targeted search for victims through social media.

On the third day after Sahilkumar’s arrest, the Chennai police got a request from Europole alongside Polish investigators, law enforcement agencies in Germany, France, and Australia also took an interest in the case.

According to preliminary data, at least eight women found in the house on Tharman Road had previously been reported missing in their home countries.

One of the key figures in the investigation was senior inspector Krishnan Narayanan, an officer with the human trafficking unit of the Tamil Nadu state criminal investigation department.

He led the questioning of the victims and initiated a systematic investigation into the Shanti Param Foundation.

Within the first week, it became clear that the organization registered as a charitable meditation center had a parallel structure for recruiting women through social media and online seminars.

At the center of this scheme was Sahilkumar.

He was 29 years old.

He was born in the city of Hardwire, Utarakand State into a family that owned a small hotel business.

He graduated from college with a degree in management.

At the age of 21, he joined a movement founded by a certain Anurag Svastava, a man who presented himself as a guru and teacher of inner liberation.

The sect operated under the guise of the Shanti Param Ashram spiritual growth center.

Over the next 8 years, Sahil rose from student to curator of one of the branches.

According to the investigation, starting in 2018, he created and controlled at least six fake Instagram and Twitter accounts through which he made contact with women in Europe, mainly single women who often mentioned depression, stress, or a desire to leave.

He presented himself as a saved disciple who found meaning in life through spiritual purification.

He never mentioned the name of the sect and contact took place exclusively through private messages.

The investigation established that his phone, which was seized at the time of his arrest, contained more than 50 conversations with women from different countries.

In most of them, he used the exact phrases, “You are chosen.

Your heart speaks the truth.

I want to meet you in a place where time does not matter.

” He offered free accommodation, participation in an awakening program, and the opportunity to go beyond the mind.

On March 19th, 6 days before Sophia Kavalskaya’s disappearance, Sahil rented a house on the outskirts of Chennai, registered under a fake name, a driver from the state of Bihar, who was paid in cash.

The house was not registered as part of the foundation and was under strict control.

All CCTV cameras were pointed inward.

The windows in most rooms were either boarded up from the inside or covered with thick fabric.

A strict silence regime was in place in the house except for ritual practices in the morning and evening.

The women lived according to a schedule.

They got up at 5:00 in the morning, had half an hour of silent meditation, then ate plant-based food, followed by 2 hours of reading purification texts in English, written by Sahil.

After lunch, they were isolated in their rooms for time for inner work.

According to the victims, punishments were used in case of violations of the regime, deprivation of food, confinement in an unlit basement, as well as psychological pressure, accusations of deviating from the path, and spiritual filth.

One of the women, Marie Julianne, a French citizen, said during questioning that she resisted during the first week.

She noted that Sahil then hit her in the face, calling her one of those who bring pain to this world.

After that, she was placed in solitary confinement for 3 days without food.

She was only allowed to leave for cleansing rituals, some of which she said were sexual in nature.

In his report, the forensic medical expert noted signs of beatings, old bruises, and lacerations on the inside of her thighs.

Three other women gave similar testimony.

Two refused to speak.

Sophia Kovalskaya remained in a state of catatonia until the seventh day after her release.

According to doctors, her condition resembled the effects of prolonged isolation and stress exacerbated by medication.

Meanwhile, through its lawyers, the sect launched a campaign to defend Sahil.

A statement appeared on the foundation’s website about gross interference by the authorities in the spiritual life of the organization in which the women were called voluntary participants and it was claimed that their detention is a lie dictated by fear of internal transformation.

The Chennai police requested support at the federal level.

A week later, as part of a joint operation with the Indian Criminal Investigation Bureau, searches were carried out at two other Shanti Pam centers in Bengaluru and Deredun.

In the first, five women, citizens of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands were found.

No one was found in the second location, but documents indicating the structure of the organization were seized.

Each branch of the ashram had a curator responsible for working with new participants.

They reported to the head Anurag Svasta.

He turned out to be a former philosophy teacher who had been stripped of his license in 2007 for promoting unproven psychotherrapeutic methods.

After that he founded a foundation and over 15 years built a network of closed centers where outside observers were not allowed.

At that point his whereabouts were unknown.

According to intelligence reports he may have left India via Nepal.

An international arrest warrant was issued in midappril but the central figure in the current investigation remained Sahilkumar the man through whom most of the victims entered the system.

Investigators continued to examine digital traces in phones, laptops, and correspondents.

It turned out that at least eight women had disappeared in the last 2 years after communicating with profiles linked to him.

Not all of them were found.

The identities of five were confirmed.

Two were identified from photos posted on the cult’s internal servers.

Another was identified from a short video filmed inside the house where she is sitting on the floor.

repeating phrases in Hindi.

According to the prosecutor’s office, this evidence pointed to systematic detention, psychological and physical abuse, and signs of human trafficking.

Sophia Kowalsska was unable to give testimony at this stage.

She was taken to a clinic at the Polish consulate in New Delhi.

Doctors diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder, symptoms of psychoggenic amnesia, and depression.

It was only 9 days later that she spoke to a psychologist for the first time, saying briefly, “I didn’t think I would come back.

” The investigation moved into the international phase.

The amount of evidence grew, but the main task was to prove that the actions of Sahil and his associates were not part of a cultural or spiritual practice, but a criminal system of manipulation, isolation, and violence.

Sophia Kowalsska was born in Wajj Poland in February 1994.

Her parents were teachers.

Her mother worked at a university and her father at a school.

According to her friends, she was independent from an early age.

She moved to Kroof at a young age where she graduated from Jagalonian University with a degree in social communications.

At the age of 26, she worked for a large marketing agency, had a stable income, rented an apartment, and was active on social media.

Her last post before traveling to India was a selfie in a cafe with the caption, “I’ve been putting it off for a long time, but it’s time to start over.

” The photo is dated March 15th.

10 days later, she flew to Chennai.

She told her family that she was taking two weeks off to recharge and get some new energy.

No one around her was concerned.

Sahilkumar entered her life via Instagram in early January.

He commented on one of her stories where she shared that she was feeling burnt out.

In their correspondence, he introduced himself as someone who helps others through breathing and meditation practices.

At the time, his account looked convincing.

Photos from yoga classes, quotes, and video messages with positive messages.

Sophia did not respond right away, but within 3 weeks, they were in daily contact.

Later, investigators found that the content of Sahill’s account had been collected from other people’s materials.

The videos were clips from other people’s seminars.

The photos were often taken from free sources.

The only real component was him.

He recorded voice messages showing empathy and repeating phrases like, “I feel your pain because I was lost before.

” A month later, he confessed his love to her.

A month and a half later, he asked her to come visit him.

He explained it as an opportunity to walk the path together and get rid of the pain accumulated over the years.

Sophia agreed.

She didn’t tell anyone that she was going alone without a hotel reservation or a return ticket.

Straight to a person she had never met in person.

She told her parents that she was going on a tourist trip.

Only her best friend knew that she was going to see someone special.

Upon arrival in Chennai, she was met at the airport.

This was confirmed by CCTV footage.

Sahil was holding a sign with her name on it.

Her further movements were not tracked.

Her phone’s SIM card stopped working the next day.

After posting on Instagram, all contact was lost.

Sophia was taken to a house in the Paramore area.

There, as it later transpired, she was immediately placed in isolation.

According to other women, new arrivals were placed in a so-called silence room for the first few days.

a windowless room with soft walls where they were only allowed to sit and meditate.

Talking was forbidden.

The victim’s testimonies describe almost the same scenario.

First, they were told that giving up their phones and passports was part of a ritual to free them from material attachments.

Then the purification rituals began.

These practices included repeated chanting of mantras, water procedures, food restrictions, and sexual contact, which was presented as energy rebirth.

One of the victims, Suzanne Berg from Sweden, said during questioning that on the fifth day of her stay at the house, Sahil came into her room, sat her on the floor, and conducted an energy transfer session during which he touched her body.

When she tried to get up, he hit her in the face.

She was then forbidden from leaving her room for 3 days.

Sophia spent almost 2 weeks in this condition.

According to doctors, her condition at the time of her release was critical.

She was severely dehydrated, emaciated, had lost almost 8 kg, and her speech was slurred.

Doctors diagnosed her with sleep disorders, anxiety disorder, and reactive depression.

According to a psychologist who worked with her at a clinic in New Delhi, Sophia refused to answer questions for several days.

She repeated only one phrase, “I thought he loved me.

” Later, she gave written consent for her testimony to be handed over to the prosecutor’s office, stating that she realized how she had fallen into the hands of a manipulator disguised as a teacher.

Meanwhile, investigators continued to sift through digital evidence obtained after the Shanti Pam Foundation’s servers were seized.

Sahil’s archived correspondence contained similar patterns of communication with 19 other women.

In several cases, the correspondence ended after 2 or 3 months with the phrase, “I am ready to open the way for you.

” Most of these women were listed as missing.

In one of the messages dated November 2019, Sahill wrote to a woman named Lucia, “You have no idea how happy it is to be in a place where no one is looking for you.

” This woman was not among those found in the house.

The Indian police officially contacted the authorities in Poland, Germany, and Australia with requests for information about missing citizens.

A comparison of the lists led to the identification of five more names that could be linked to Sawill’s activities or accounts associated with him.

At the same time, the police checked the foundation’s property and bank accounts.

It was established that over the past 2 years, the organization had received more than $1 million in donations transferred via cryptocurrency.

The money came from anonymous wallets, and some of it came from the victim’s own accounts.

In one case, a Canadian citizen under the control of the foundation transferred about $40,000 to the organization’s account.

She later claimed that she wanted to help, but could not remember the circumstances under which she did so.

Investigators began to talk not only about illegal deprivation of liberty, but also about systematic financial exploitation and a possible international moneyaundering scheme.

The center in Chennai was only one element of this scheme.

At that time at least four other houses were known to exist in Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabbad and Surat.

All of them were nominally managed by other figures associated with Sahil.

Anuragastava the founder of the foundation was never found.

Interpol put him on an international wanted list.

However, according to the latest information, he may have been seen in the border areas of Nepal.

There, according to unconfirmed reports, he may have set up a new center under a different name.

The investigation continued, but Sophia Kavalskaya’s testimony officially recorded at the end of April, became a key moment in building the case against Sahil and the entire structure of the foundation.

This testimony enabled the prosecution to bring charges of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and the creation of a criminal group under the guise of religion.

In early May 2021, the Tamil Nadu state prosecutor’s office brought six charges against Sahilkumar.

These included unlawful deprivation of liberty, coercion to engage in sexual acts, use of violence, fraud, human trafficking, and participation in an organized criminal structure.

The total evidence base was over 300 pages, and included statements from eight victims, medical reports, and materials obtained from the analysis of devices seized during the search.

The prosecution relied heavily on digital evidence.

This included correspondence archives, voice messages, and recordings from surveillance cameras inside the house.

In one video recorded in March, Sahil is seen entering a room where a woman is sitting and without saying a word, snatching a notebook from her hands, throwing it on the floor and demanding that she repeat the mantra.

The woman refuses, after which he lifts her by the shoulder and takes her to the basement.

It was Sophia Kovalskaya.

Other videos show women lining up in the hall in the morning, receiving portions of food and sitting on the floor under the supervision of assistants.

Their faces were dejected, their movements slow, and no one spoke.

Some footage shows episodes of physical pressure, pushing, shouting, and forcing women to repeat phrases.

Psychologists who analyzed the victim’s behavior claimed that the women showed signs of mental coercion and a lack of will to resist.

Sahil himself denied his guilt during questioning.

He claimed that all actions were spiritually motivated, that the women were there of their own free will and that they were undergoing a transformation process that could be painful.

He refused to answer any questions about sexual violence.

However, a breakthrough in his position came after the interrogation of two assistants detained at another Shanti Pam center in Bengaluru.

One of them, Romesh Varma, admitted that he had been recruited through an advertisement on a messaging app.

Assistant needed for a meditation center, food and accommodation provided.

He described how he underwent an initiation and was told that he had to help new female students overcome their physical resistance.

In other words, he had to restrain them during rituals.

His confession formed the basis of the charges of systematic abuse.

By the end of May, Sahil had been transferred to a detention center in Chennai.

His lawyer filed a petition to have his detention replaced with house arrest, but the court rejected it.

Meanwhile, the National Committee for the Protection of Women’s Rights in India got involved in the case.

Their report confirmed that the Shanti Pam Foundation had previously been the subject of complaints.

Still, the cases had been closed due to lack of evidence of a crime.

Investigators, meanwhile, found new victims.

One of them is Lisa Marino, a 28-year-old Italian citizen who disappeared in 2019 after a trip to India.

A photo sent to the cent’s internal email address was found in Sahill’s email archive.

It shows a woman in a gray tunic, tearful, with bruises on her face.

The caption reads, “Marino is ready for phase three.

This woman has not been found.

” The second case involves an Australian citizen, Christine Howell.

She disappeared in November 2020.

According to her parents, she went to India on a retreat and then stopped communicating.

Her name was found on the passed through list on the foundation’s server.

Opposite it was a note.

Transferred to Delhi, status closed.

Her whereabouts remain unknown.

At the same time, official requests were sent to 21 countries through Interpol.

In response, information was received about 27 reports of missing women between 2016 and 2020.

All of them had either been in direct contact with accounts linked to Shanti Pam or mentioned the inner transformation center in India in their correspondence.

As part of an expanded investigation, Indian police conducted searches of two more houses in Surat and Varinasi.

In the first house, a hidden room without windows was discovered containing a mattress and a bucket.

The walls were covered with soundproofing.

A camera inside recorded movements.

Hair, nail fragments, and bandages were found on the floor.

Forensic experts confirmed the presence of blood belonging to a woman whose identity has not yet been established.

Five phones, two video cameras, and more than 60 notebooks containing names, dates, and phrases in English, Hindi, and German were seized from the second house.

According to investigators, these were personal submission journals.

Women in the process of transition kept records describing mistakes, resistance, and punishments.

Some pages were stained with blood.

One notebook contained the following entry.

I resisted.

Today I was not given food.

They don’t hear me.

I want to leave.

After examining the materials, forensic psychologists concluded that the victims had been deliberately manipulated using methods of isolation, sensory deprivation, and coercive suggestion under conditions of total control.

This creates a clinical picture similar to psychological captivity, a state in which a person loses the ability to make independent decisions and critically assess what is happening.

Against this backdrop, Sophia Kowalsskaya’s family agreed to speak to the media.

Her mother gave a short interview to a Polish television channel in which she said, “I see my daughter in front of me, but it’s as if she’s not with us.

I don’t know what happened to her, but I don’t want this to happen to others.

This story caused a stir.

European media outlets began publishing articles about sects disguised as meditation centers and embassies started issuing warnings.

The system operating under the guise of spiritual practices turned out to be based on methods of suppression of will, manipulation, and physical coercion.

And all this in modern India under the cover of a registered foundation.

But despite the scale of the scandal, one person remained out of reach.

Anurag Svastava.

His role became increasingly important.

He was the one who created the scheme.

He was the one who directed it.

His philosophy formed the basis of the practices and he was the one who disappeared a few weeks before the police arrived in Chennai.

By May 2021, Anurag Svastava’s name appeared in most of the official documents related to the case.

The investigation considered him not only the founder of the Shanti Pam Foundation, but also the developer of the recruitment, psychological pressure and victim management model.

However, at the time of the discovery of the center in Chennai, his whereabouts were unknown.

His last official registration in India was a flight from Delhi to Kathmandu in September 2020.

Anurag Svastava was born in 1969 in the city of Kpur.

In the 1990s he taught philosophy at a college affiliated with Bernarez University.

There he became interested in eastern esotericism and Tibetan practices and developed his own doctrine of purification which claimed that true liberation for women is only possible through the renunciation of will and complete submission to the flow.

Investigators later found this quote on the foundation’s internal server in the teaching methods section.

In 2014, he was removed from teaching formally for ethical violations, but unofficially for trying to get students to do silent pressure practices, where he locked girls in a classroom without lights or water.

In 2007, he registered a charitable foundation in Harido called Shanti Param Ashram.

During its first years, its activities were limited to small seminars and courses.

But by 2012, the foundation had three active centers and access to an international audience via the internet.

Videos of Anurag’s lectures garnered hundreds of thousands of views.

He became an active user of social media, although he never appeared on it himself.

The content was published by his assistants.

A key moment in the growth of the sect was the creation of an English language website offering consciousness cleansing programs for foreigners.

The website promoted the values of spiritual silence, liberation from the ego and rebirth through submission.

Anurag referred to himself as the teacher in the recordings but never appeared on video.

His lectures were narrated by other people with voiceovers.

According to one witness, a former volunteer at the Deredun Center, all students were given access to audio files with sermons that contained clear instructions.

A woman does not belong to herself.

A woman is a vessel that can be filled, but only after she has been emptied.

The investigation established that the foundation centers used an internal classification system.

Women who arrived for the first time were called beginning vessels.

After 2 weeks of staying at the center and completely giving up their phones and documents, they were transferred to silent status.

It was at this stage that the rituals began.

According to an employee of the center in Bengaluru who cooperated with the investigation, if a girl continued to resist, she was sent to another house.

If she obeyed, she was kept, given a new name, and put into servitude.

About half of the women went through a discipline phase which included physical punishment.

This was carried out either by Sahil himself or by his assistants.

They were whipped, denied food, and isolated in the dark.

All of this was presented as freedom from pain through pain.

According to data collected by midJune, the foundation structure included at least 20 facilities ranging from registered centers to rented houses with no legal status.

Each of them was staffed by local employees, often former participants in the practices who stayed on and became leaders.

These mentors did not receive an official salary.

They were provided with housing, food, and access to the women they controlled.

One of these curators, Prianch Kumar, was arrested in June in Varinasi.

During questioning, he stated that he did not consider himself guilty.

I was chosen to serve.

We did nothing illegal.

They agreed with themselves.

They needed purification.

We gave it to them.

His words echoed the terminology used in the foundation’s internal documents.

During a search, a flash drive with dozens of folders was found on him.

Inside were files on women, including passport scans, personal photos, a list of weaknesses, and quotes from correspondents.

One document read, “Tless father left when she was a child.

Prone to attachment, recommended through praise, does not respond to threats.

” These records became some of the strongest pieces of evidence demonstrating that recruitment and control were not random but part of a pre-established system.

Anoragastava meanwhile remained untouchable.

His name did not appear in any official records of houses, accounts or property.

Everything was done through frontmen.

His voice was never heard in the audio recordings.

Even the photographs were old with no precise reference to time or place.

Investigators assumed that he was using fake documents and had long since left India.

The theory that he was in Nepal was only indirectly confirmed.

One of the officers involved in the operation told reporters that they have reason to believe that a man visually similar to Anorog using the name Tapas was seen in one of the Buddhist centers in the Pocara area.

However, this couldn’t be confirmed.

While Sahilkumar was in custody, his defense team tried to present the case as a cultural misunderstanding.

The lawyer claimed that the foreign women had come voluntarily, that the sexual relations were consensual, and that the restriction of freedom was part of the practice of renouncing the ego.

However, under pressure from the testimony of new victims, the defense strategy began to crumble.

The prosecutor’s office has already collected more than 35 volumes of evidence.

Among them are women’s testimonies, photos of injuries, audio recordings of threats, traces of money transfers to the funds accounts from cryptocurrency wallets, as well as internal documents of the center describing the rules of detention.

Meanwhile, journalists joined the investigation.

German television channel ARD and the British BBC began filming documentaries.

The Polish newspaper Gazetta Viborcha published a series of reports on the case of Sophia Kowalsskaya entitled Under the Guys of Love: How a Polish Citizen Fell into a System of Violence in India.

The story gained international attention.

But despite the public outcry, the main issue remained unresolved.

Anurag Svastava was still on the run and as long as he was free, the chances of unraveling the entire chain of events remained slim.

In July 2021, the Chennai District Court began preliminary hearings in the Sahilkumar case.

The prosecution presented six episodes of criminal activity confirmed by testimony and evidence gathered by the investigation.

The main emphasis was on the systematic nature of the crimes.

The court had to assess whether there had been personal violence or whether it was a targeted system of exploitation built into the structure of the foundation.

At the first hearing, the prosecutor presented a list of victims who were ready to give official testimony.

Among them were Sophia Kowalsska, Claudia Bruner from Germany, Suzanne Berg from Sweden, and Carla Mendoza from Argentina.

All four were released from a house in Chennai and had documents confirming their status as victims.

Sophia Kowalsski testified in closed session.

According to the prosecutor, her testimony lasted more than 2 hours.

She described how she was recruited, how she was met at the airport, how her phone and passport were taken away under the pretext of starting her internship, and how 3 days later she was forbidden to speak or leave her room.

Sophia stated that on the fourth day, Sahil entered her room, sat down next to her, and began to touch her.

When she said no, he hit her in the face and said, “Resistance is fear, and fear is a lie.

” According to the prosecutor, these words became central to the evidence of violence.

They were recorded in one of the audio recordings found on Sahill’s laptop.

The recording can be heard repeating this phrase several times in the context of transitioning to a new form of consciousness.

The next day the court heard testimony from Suzanne Berg.

The girl said that upon arrival at the house in Bengaluru she was given clothes, all her personal belongings were taken away and she was told that from now on she belongs to the system.

Within 24 hours, she was forced to participate in energy rituals during which she was required to undress, kneel, and repeat phrases she did not understand.

When she tried to refuse, she was denied food, locked in a windowless room, and subjected to loud noise.

Carla Mendoza, an Argentine citizen, said that after arriving in Chennai, she was sexually assaulted not only by Sahil, but also by other men who were presented as teachers.

She claimed that during her two months in the house, she was subjected to rituals at least 10 times.

Her testimony was corroborated by surveillance camera footage, which the prosecution presented as evidence of systematic abuse.

But the most unexpected turn of events was the disappearance of a key witness, a woman named Nisha Kumari, a former employee of the foundation in Deredun.

She was supposed to testify against Sahil, describing the internal structure of the foundation, pointing out financial connections, the routes used to transfer victims between centers and the role of Anorag Svestava.

Nisha was under police protection.

She was being transported to Chennai from Jarkand where she had been living for the past few months.

However, 2 days before the hearing, she did not arrive for her scheduled interrogation.

Her phone was turned off.

The security guards accompanying her said that she went out to the store at night and did not return.

An internal search was launched throughout the city.

Surveillance cameras recorded a woman with a similar appearance getting into a black SUV without license plates in a shopping center parking lot.

After that, all traces of her disappeared.

This incident raised serious questions about possible interference by supporters of the foundation in the case.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs launched an investigation into the witness protection program.

Several officials from the Jarkhan police were temporarily suspended from duty for negligence.

The prosecution requested additional security measures for the remaining witnesses.

Amid this scandal, Sahil’s defense team attempted to claim pressure on the court and media hysteria.

However, the judge rejected the motion.

The victim’s testimony continued.

International observers from the European Union confirmed that the trial was proceeding by global standards.

By mid August, the court had heard more than 20 witnesses.

Among them were forensic experts, police officers, medical professionals, and representatives of human rights organizations.

DNA analysis results were read out confirming the presence of Sahil’s biological material on the clothing of three victims.

Bank transaction data was also presented indicating that money from cryptocurrency wallets was transferred to the fund and then cashed out through front companies in Delhi and Kathmandu.

At one of the hearings, the prosecutor presented a list of 15 women who were listed in the funds database but could not be found.

Eight of them were reported missing in various countries.

The rest have not been identified.

The court made an official remark to the Indian authorities demanding that they expand the international investigation and intensify the search for Anorag Svastava.

Meanwhile, Poland, Germany, France, and Australia launched their own parallel investigations.

Criminal cases involving the disappearances of women who had previously been considered unrelated were combined into a single international scheme.

A temporary Interpol headquarters was set up in New Delhi to coordinate efforts.

The story took on not just a criminal but a diplomatic dimension.

But for the victims sitting in the courtroom, it all boiled down to one thing.

Would they hear the verdict? And would that be enough if the principal architect of the system, the man who wrote the script for their enslavement, was still at large? In early September 2021, the trial entered its final phase.

Almost all the witnesses had been heard, and dozens of volumes of materials and expert reports had been included.

All that remained was for the defendant to have the last word and for the verdict to be handed down.

But first, the court agreed to include a special document, a forensic psychological evaluation of Sahilkumar.

This examination was an unexpected initiative by the prosecution.

The aim was to prove that the defendant’s actions were not merely criminal, but deliberately controlling and manipulative.

That he was aware of his every action and had built a step-by-step model of subjugation of his victims.

like a system.

The psychological commission which included two specialists from the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry in Mumbai came to the following conclusions.

Sahilkumar has a high level of cognitive abilities and no signs of mental disorders.

He has been diagnosed with pronounced traits of narcissistic and sadistic personality disorder.

The defendant’s behavior is characterized as structured, consistent, and emotionally detached from the consequences of his actions.

He demonstrates a complete lack of empathy and complete confidence in the legitimacy of his actions.

Quote from the conclusion, the defendant does not perceive the victims as individuals.

He treats them as objects through which his spiritual mission is realized.

In the context of his personal motivations, his actions fall within the framework of intellectual domination and sexual control.

The prosecution supported these conclusions with excerpts from correspondence in which Sahil wrote, “They resist because they are afraid, but after fear comes submission, and submission is freedom.

” At the hearing, the defense tried to challenge the credibility of the psychiatric evaluation, saying it was influenced by public pressure.

The court rejected the objection.

On the same day, two other essential witnesses were heard.

Women who refused to speak publicly but agreed to give written testimony under pseudonyms.

Both arrived in India in 2018 at the invitation of the foundation, went through the rituals and fled after 3 months.

Their confessions were harsh, detailed, and emotionally draining.

In one of the notes, a woman wrote, “I knew it was slavery, but they explained to me that if I left, I would die spiritually.

I believed them.

” In another, he never raised a hand against me.

He raised the system.

Every word was rehearsed.

I wasn’t living.

I was following a script.

The prosecutor did not name names, but made it clear that both women are undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and are currently outside India.

One is in Germany, the other in Canada.

After reading these statements, Sahil reacted for the first time.

According to eyewitnesses, he stopped holding back, shook his head, and said aloud, “They didn’t understand anything.

Everything was right.

” The judge immediately called for silence, but this episode caused a stir.

2 days later, the prosecutor announced his final position.

Sahilkumar is not an isolated aggressor.

He is the face of the system.

He is its instrument and its architect.

Through him the machine of destruction of human will was at work.

His actions were not an excess.

They were policy.

The defense in turn again tried to shift the case to the realm of cultural differences arguing that methods of spiritual purification in India may differ from those familiar to the western world.

This line of defense had already irritated not only the court but also observers.

An Amnesty International representative said at a briefing, “When it comes to beatings, rape, and isolation in a basement, this is not culture.

This is a crime.

” The court concluded its examination of the evidence at the end of September.

The verdict was scheduled to be announced in the first week of October.

A few days before that, information leaked to the media about new evidence that could change the course of the case.

Nepalese military intelligence had passed on information to the Indian bureau about an informal settlement in the Mustang region where a man resembling Anorag Svastava was believed to be hiding.

A raid was carried out but the house was empty.

However, a magazine was found inside describing methods of training female students and a list of 12 names, some of which matched those of the women seen in Chennai.

On the same day, the mother of one of the victims, Claudia Bruner, published a column in the German newspaper deed site in which she wrote, “As long as the person who wrote the rules is alive, the rules will continue to apply, and those who carried them out are just replaceable mechanisms.

” I don’t know how many of us there are, but I know that this is not the end.

On October 4th, 2021, the Chennai District Court announced its verdict in the Sahil Kumar case.

The courtroom was packed.

Journalists from the UK, Poland, Germany, India, representatives of the European Union, the Polish embassy, human rights organizations, and relatives of the victims were present.

The trial was monitored online by representatives of the public prosecutor’s offices of several countries where parallel investigations related to Shanti Parm were underway.

The judge began his sentence with the following statement.

This is not an isolated case of crime.

What we have before us is a proven organized international system of forced detention, exploitation, and destruction of women’s personalities under the guise of spiritual practices.

The defendant did not simply participate in it.

He was its bearer and propagator.

Sahilkumar was found guilty on all six counts.

These include unlawful deprivation of liberty, three counts, sexual assault, four counts, coercion under threat of violence, organizing a criminal group, money laundering and concealment of evidence.

Total sentence 27 years imprisonment without parole in a maximum security prison in Tamil Nadu.

The reading of the sentence lasted 48 minutes.

Sahil stood silently, unresponsive to the judge’s words.

Only at the very end, when asked if he had anything to say, did he reply, “You burned the path, but you did not kill the fire.

It is not in me.

It is in others.

” After the verdict, the judge separately ordered the Indian authorities to ensure the deportation of all victims who so desired as well as to freeze all accounts and property of the Shanti Parm Foundation within the country.

The next day, the prosecutor’s office launched proceedings against four more former leaders of the sect, including Priyanka Kumar and Romesh Varma.

They were accused of aiding and abetting, concealing crimes and participating in violent acts.

At the same time, Interpol intensified its international search for Anorag Svasta.

His photo and possible aliases were sent to all jurisdictions, including countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

At the level of the Indian central government, the Ministry of Home Affairs initiated an investigation into all registered meditation centers and foundations receiving foreign transfers.

Within 2 months, 62 organizations using a similar model of sectarian hierarchy and recruitment of women from abroad were closed.

Eight leaders were detained.

In Poland, Germany, and Australia, public hearings have begun on the protection of citizens abroad.

The Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs made a statement.

This case is a tragic reminder of how manipulation and violence can be disguised as smiles, promises of love, and the search for truth.

Sophia is back.

But how many others were not so lucky? During the fall, six women who had previously been released from the center in Chennai began a joint recovery process under the supervision of doctors and psychologists.

Four of them filed civil lawsuits against the foundation and demanded compensation.

An Indian court upheld three of the claims awarding each woman the equivalent of $100,000.

The compensation was paid from assets frozen in the foundation’s accounts.

Some of the property, houses, equipment, cars were put up for auction.

The proceeds were used to provide medical and legal support to the victims.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the missing women continued.

Of the 15 listed by the prosecutor’s office, three were located.

All of them were in other countries, some in monasteries or closed communities.

According to them, they left voluntarily but are still not ready to communicate with their families.

The remaining 12 are still listed as missing.

The story of Shanti Pam officially came to an end when the foundation was dissolved, but its consequences, psychological, social, and international remain.

Global human rights forums have begun discussing new protocols for vetting meditation organizations and coordinating between states to protect citizens traveling for spiritual practices.

Sophia Kowalsska returned to Poland in October.

She has not spoken publicly.

All that is known is that she changed her name, underwent therapy, and left Wajge.

According to her friend, she is trying to forget, but it’s not something you can erase.

It’s forever.

Anorag Svasta remains at large.

There have been several reports of his possible activity.

First in Indonesia, then in Mexico.

None of these reports have been confirmed.

Investigators believe that he has changed his appearance, is using fake documents, and may be hiding in any country with low levels of control over religious organizations.

But the most alarming thing is that no control system, no government can guarantee that something like this will not happen again.

Because the mechanism used in this case is simple and it can be repeated.

And as Sahilkumar has shown, all it takes is one Instagram profile to start the chain.

The captain of a Qatari fishing trawler sailing early in the morning to the port of Doha spotted an uncontrolled motorboat on the open sea.

Upon approaching, the crew discovered two women on board.

One of them, later identified as an Indonesian citizen, was dead from extensive blood loss caused by a wound that experts later identified as the result of a hunting arrow.

The second, an Egyptian citizen, was in a state of deep shock and severe dehydration.

This discovery recorded by the Coast Guard became the starting point for an investigation that the Qatari authorities subsequently tried to conclude without publicity.

To understand how these women ended up 80 km from the coast, it is necessary to reconstruct the events that preceded their discovery.

At the center of this story is 28-year-old Yasmin, an Egyptian citizen who arrived in Doha on a work visa.

Like thousands of other women from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Arab countries, she worked as a domestic servant.

Her contract with a cleaning agency in Doha provided her with an income of $600 per month.

This was a standard salary for such a position, but for Yasmin, it was critical.

She sent almost all of her earnings to her family in Cairo.

The money went to support her sick mother who needed expensive kidney surgery and to support her three younger sisters who were receiving an education.

Yasmin worked without days off, taking extra shifts and saving rigorously.

Her life in Doha was a closed cycle, working in the homes of wealthy Qataris, sleeping briefly in a shared room with other workers, and making weekly phone calls home.

The agency’s management described her as an efficient and unobtrusive employee.

It was these qualities that apparently attracted attention to her when the agency received an unusual request.

One day, the agency manager called Yasmin to the office.

She was offered what they called a special project.

The job was temporary for only 3 days.

The client was a high-ranking official whose name was not disclosed.

The place of work was a private area where transportation would be provided.

The nature of the work was described vaguely.

Assistance in preparing for a private event serving guests.

The pay for 3 days of work was set at $5,000.

This amount was almost 10 times her annual salary.

The agency manager emphasized that the offer required absolute confidentiality and an immediate decision.

Yasmin was aware of the risks associated with working at closed private events about which there were various rumors among the servants.

However, the $5,000 would fully cover the cost of her mother’s surgery and subsequent rehabilitation.

After a moment’s thought, she agreed.

She was instructed to sign additional non-disclosure documents, the text of which was written in English, a language Yasmin knew only at a basic level.

She was not given a copy.

The next day, an unmarked car picked Yasmin up from the agency’s dormatory.

She was taken to a small private airfield outside Doha.

There, she met three other women who had also been hired for this job.

They were girls about her age, one from the Philippines, one from Indonesia, and one from Kenya.

They kept to themselves, and it was clear that they had also been instructed not to make unnecessary contact.

They were loaded onto a helicopter.

The flight lasted about an hour.

Yasmin, looking out the window, saw the coastline of Qatar disappear, replaced by the uniform blue surface of the Persian Gulf.

The island where the helicopter landed was small, no more than four square kilm, according to estimates.

It was densely covered with jungle-like vegetation and palm trees.

On the shore, near a small pier, stood the only modern villa built of glass and concrete.

A man who introduced himself as the manager met them at the landing site.

He was a man with a stern face of Pakistani origin who spoke clear English.

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