A controversial spiritual leader known as “Buddha Boy” has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor by a Nepalese court. The leader, whose real name is Ram Bahadur Bomjan, was arrested in January on suspicion of sexually assaulting minors and participating in the disappearance of at least four of his followers.
Judge Salahi District Court found him guilty of sexually assaulting an underage girl and said the sentence will be handed down on July 1. He faces at least 12 years in prison, but can appeal the conviction.
The allegations of abuse and misconduct against Bomjan date back more than a decade, with dozens of assault allegations made against him in 2010. At the time, he claimed he beat followers because they disrupted his meditations.
The 33-year-old, who had been on the run for years, was arrested in January this year by officers from Nepal’s Central Bureau of Investigation on the outskirts of Kathmandu. During the arrest, police also seized $227,000 worth of Nepali currency and $23,000 worth of foreign currency.
Before his escape, Bomjan continued to lead a large following amid mounting charges, with at one point tens of thousands of people gathering deep in the jungle to witness his meditation miracles.
At the age of 16, Bonjan went missing for nine months after wandering the wilderness of eastern Nepal and was watched around the clock by Buddhist monks praying for his safe return.
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