MUMBAI: Two more sets of parents have approached the Mumbai police against Shifu Sunkriti and its founder Sunil Kulkarni. This comes a day after the Bombay high courtrapped the city crime branchfor not initiating action despite a Malad couple complaining that their two daughters had been ensnared by the alleged “cult” group that operates on social media.
In the fresh complaints to the Mumbai police commissioner and Malad police, the parents of two boys referred to the TOI report dated April 18 about the high court proceedings. The reports, they said, had given them courage to speak out against Kulkarni, who has criminal cases pending against him, including a sexual assault FIR. “The new complainants have made similar allegations as those made in the petition before the high court against the group and Kulkarni,” said advocate Varsha Bhogle, counsel for the Malad couple. The latest complaints are likely to be placed before the high court on Wednesday, when the matter is scheduled. The court has summoned the deputy commissioner of police (crime branch) to remain present for the hearing. The Malad couple had approached the high court after their daughters-a 23-year-old law student and a 21-year-old architecture student-left their homes early this year allegedly under the influence of Kulkarni and his group. Shifu Sunkriti, the petitioners had claimed, was a “sex and drug racket” that contacts young girls on Facebook and other social networking sites. “Kulkarni attracts girls in the age group of 18-25 years and captures their mind to such an extent that they cannot possibly think beyond him,” the petition said, adding, “Kulkarni has a network of followers who are on the lookout for vulnerable victims for him to prey on and to exploit.” The couple’s lawyers, Sandesh Patil and Bhogle, had claimed that the police had failed to take any action against the group. This was after a social worker visited a flat rented by Kulkarni and found girls and boys in semi-naked condition, the petition claimed.
On Monday, the division bench of Justice Ranjit More and Justice Anuja Prabhudessai had slammed the police and the crime investigation unit for its reported inaction despite the “serious nature” of the complaints. The court had remarked that it was not only a question of the two girls but others who had similarly come under the influence of the group.