Caretaker was blackmailing 'Bhaiyyu Maharaj' for property: Police

The guru had branches of his trust in different parts of the country and property worth crores were attached to these branches.

Bhopal: Probing the alleged suicide of a spiritual guru 'Bhaiyyu Maharaj', the Indore police on Monday said the guru's personal secretary and caretaker Palak Puranik were blackmailing him for his property. "She wanted to be the owner of his property worth crores, and so she wanted to marry him and was blackmailing him," said a police officer. The police also said they found videos and chats which established that the guru was being blackmailed by Puranik. Bhaiyyu Maharaj shot himself dead at his bungalow in Indore on June 12, 2018. The guru had branches of his trust in different parts of the country and property worth crores were attached to these branches. According to his close aides, Bhaiyyu Maharaj had undeclared investments in many industries about which Puranik knew. Eyeing his property, she was forcing him to marry her, they alleged. The police had arrested Puranik, Vinayak Dhule and Sharad Deshmukh. They were charged with forcing him to commit suicide. According to Indore's DIG Harinarayan Chari Mishra, the guru committed suicide after he was blackmailed by Puranik, Dhule and Deshmukh. "They were blackmailing him, due to which he committed suicide," he said.