Italian authorities have arrested a German-Indian man who led a remote forest community in Sicily on suspicion of aiding and abetting child abuse, Italian news agencies ANSA and Adcronos reported. The man claimed to be the spiritual guru of the community.The suspect is said to have led a group of 15 people, including two children aged 7 and 11, living in a forest near Cefalu on the northern coast of Sicily. The children were not vaccinated, did not attend school and were forced to guard around the house at night. Moreover, the house has no electricity and poor sanitary conditions.The environment was “characterized by various forms of isolation and psychological conditioning,” Adcronos said, citing the prosecutor’s office.The German-Indian known as “The Master” arrived in Sicily about ten years ago and held several spiritual meetings. The group included Germans, Englishmen and an Italian woman. He convinced his followers to live in harmony with nature and embrace poverty while enjoying a taste of luxury himself, ANSA news agency reported.Authorities were alerted after the father of one of the man’s followers and the mother of one of the children came forward. The hotel owner from Cefalù informed the police of the manipulation his daughter suffered in the community and of the woman’s repeated cash withdrawals. After the investigation, the two children were removed from the community, ANSA reported.
