Psychic never saw arrest coming
Greg Aris and Praveen Menon
Last Updated: May 14. 2008 11:47PM UAE / May 14. 2008 7:47PM GMT
Seraphine Edwin at her office in Deira. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
DUBAI // An Indian businesswoman conned out of hundreds of thousands of dirhams by the controversial astrologer and guru Santosh Madhavan said yesterday she was relieved he had finally been arrested.
Seraphine Edwin, who has lived in Dubai for more than 10 years, was once a friend of Mr Madhavan, who is also known as Swami Amritachaitanya. The self-styled Godman or saint, who claimed to have supernatural powers and to see the future, befriended Mrs Edwin before cheating her through a bogus hotel venture.
I am happy that the police finally caught up with him and he is in prison. He is a big fraud and everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie, Mrs Edwin, 60, said.
Indian police arrested Mr Madhavan at his luxury ashram in Kerala, India, on Tuesday.
Mrs Edwin, director of a Dubai plumbing and fittings company and a mother of three, said she met Mr Madhavan in 2002 through a friend and was told he had supernatural abilities. After becoming friends and gaining her confidence in his so-called powers, Mr Madhavan said he wanted to build a hotel in Dubai and name it after her. He asked for Dh400,000 (US$109,000) to get the venture off the ground.
I believed him and gave him Dh400,000 to start the hotel project, Mrs Edwin said.
However, as soon as she handed over the money, Mr Madhavan fled the city, leaving her close to financial ruin. She was unable to trace him until he resurfaced years later as a revered Godman known as Swami Amritachaitanya.
I have waited six years for justice and I feel to a certain extent that finally I got it. Now, I hope I get my money back. I suffered a lot of financial problems because of this man, Mrs Edwin said.
It is understood that Mr Madhavan was arrested in Kerala, Indias southernmost state, on an Interpol red alert notice issued on the advice of Dubai police in 2004.
Major Gen Khamis Mattar al Mazeina, the deputy commandant general of Dubai Police, said they were still waiting for official confirmation from Interpol that Madhavan had been arrested.
We will not be extraditing him, as he is an Indian national, but we will be seeking compensation and damages for the time and money we have put into capturing this man, as well as compensation for the victim, Major Gen Mazeina said.
The net began to close in on Mr Madhavan after a magazine article revealed he was wanted by Dubai police on fraud charges. Indian detectives raided his 16-suite ashram in Kochi on Sunday after several other police complaints against him were lodged. They found pornographic DVDs, drugs and the pelt of an endangered tiger.
Mr Madhavan was arrested on Tuesday. Yesterday, his application for bail was rejected by the Kerala high court and he was remanded in custody for five days.
According to police reports from Kerala, Mr Madhavan is facing a range of charges, including the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl at a care home he funded, possession of three fake passports and the illegal tiger skin, as well as the fraud in Dubai.
Questions have been raised as to how Mr Madhavan managed to build a property empire and socialise with Keralas political elite and top policemen while a long-standing Interpol warrant was out for his arrest. The Kerala government has suspended the assistant commissioner of police Sam Christy Daniel for his alleged links with Mr Madhavan.
Born into a poor family in Kattapana, Kerala, in March 1973, Mr Madhavan started out as a temple priest. After moving to Dubai in the late 1990s, his carefully cultivated image as a mystical astrologer and holy man won him many admirers in the city, who were willing to pay him for his abilities and to predict their futures.
After allegedly conning Mrs Edwin and fleeing Dubai, he returned to his native Kerala, building the palatial ashram in Kochi and founding a trust called Shanthitheeram. The ashram was used as a guesthouse to accommodate his astrology clients, whom he claims included politicians, film stars, high-profile policemen and businessmen.
Additional reporting by Salam Hafez
garis@thenational.ae
pmenon@thenational.ae
A spiritual guru known as "Swami Amritachaitanya" is being held in Kerala, India on charges of fraud, rape and possession of narcotic drugs. Swami Amritachaitanya, whose real name is Santosh Madhavan, was arrested by Interpol in March on criminal charges in a police raid at his 16-suite ashram in Kochi, India following multiple police complaints against him. Indians living in Bahrain have recently come forward and filed a case against Madhavan in India on allegations of fraudulent practices related to his supposed charity activities.

Kochi, India 
Twenty Indians living in Bahrain filed a case against 35-year old Madhavan on Tuesday. They claim they were victims of a scam after Madhavan convinced them to invest in a charitable organization and tourist resort, but allegedly kept the money for himself. Madhavan arrived in Bahrain in 2005.


"Twenty of us have e-mailed a complaint to the Inspector General and Commissioner of Ernakulam police as well as Kerala Home Minister," said complainant Jaya Kumar in a statement to the ''Gulf Daily News''. Ernakulam is a district in the state of Kerala in India. "He was very convincing about his charity activities as well as the resort," said Kumar, a purchasing officer at a company in Bahrain.

Police began an investigation into Madhavan in April after a woman filed a complaint alleging he had promised to start a business with her after a meeting in Dubai, but she said he disappeared after she gave him the money. Serafin Edwin traveled to the capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, last week from her residence in Dubai, in order to give testimony against Madhavan. She was greeted at the international airport by police, and is under police protection due to concerns for her safety. Her family members told ''Khaleej Times'' that she feared physical harm from Madhavan or his henchmen. Interpol has been investigating Madhavan in allegations related to his business dealings with Serafin Edwin since 2004. "I am happy that the police finally caught up with him and he is in prison. He is a big fraud and everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie," said Serafin Edwin in a statement to the United Arab Emirates paper ''The National''.

Madhavan was arrested by Interpol police after multiple underage girls went to law enforcement with allegations of rape and sexual abuse. According to Press Trust of India, police in India received complaints from three underage girls alleging he had raped them. ''The Times'' reported that Madhavan is accused of making pornographic movies with underage girls, sexual assault, rape, fraud and possession of narcotics. A police raid of Madhavan's four-story mansion in India uncovered drugs, a police uniform, a pelt from an endangered tiger and pornographic DVDs. ''Gulf Daily News'' reported that Madhavan was arrested in Kerala in conjunction with an Interpol "red alert", which was issued after consultation with Dubai police in 2004.


Self styled "godmen" and "gurus" are under increased observation by police in India following the arrest of Madhavan, and police are specifically investigating their sources of wealth and possible fraud. "We are not against genuine spiritual leaders. But we won’t allow illegal activities under the guise of spirituality," said Kerala home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in a statement to Howrah News Service. 

G. Sudhakaran, Kerala's minister for temples, presented a different viewpoint in a statement to ''The Times''. "They’re conducting all kinds of criminal and material activities behind their spiritual exteriors. Ninety per cent of them are fake and criminals. There are so many swamis who have enlightened the hearts and minds of people, but these people are fakes with no idea about spirituality. They are only interested in women and money and muscle power," said Sudhakaran. Many Hindus were upset by Sudhakaran's words, as some devout Hindus consider swamis to be above the law and should not be criticized.