A self-styled ‘tantrik’ has been arrested in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district for allegedly raping a 22-year-old woman multiple times. The accused has been identified as 41-year-old Hemant Aggrawal.

The survivor alleged that Hemant lured her into cohabiting with him by promising to ease her family’s sufferings and sexually exploited her under the false pretense of marriage. He allegedly used her private videos to coerce her and forced her to undergo multiple abortions. She returned home after discovering that he was already married with children, Bhilai City Superintendent of Police Satya Prakash Tiwari said.

Following this, Hemant reportedly abducted the woman from her home, an incident captured on CCTV. The police rescued her on November 21, 2025, and detained the accused. However, Hemant escaped from custody, using false identities and frequently changing locations while keeping his phone switched off to avoid tracing.

A manhunt was launched, with plain-clothed officers tracking him down. He was eventually arrested following a tip-off while meeting another ‘tantrik’ and was publicly paraded by the police.

Hemant Aggrawal has been booked under Sections 64(2)(m) (repeated rape), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 138 (abduction), and other provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).