Indian origin cult leader convicted of rape dies in prison
London: An Indian-origin man who ran a clandestine extremist Maoist cult and was imprisoned for 23 years for multiple sexual assault cases six years ago died in jail, media reports said.
Aravindan Balakrishnan, 81, known to his followers as "Comrade Bala" was found guilty of "brutal" violence, died in custody at HMP Dartmoor prison in south-west England on Friday, the UK Prison Service said, PTI reported.
During his trial, it had also emerged that he had kept his daughter in captivity for over 30 years of her life.
Balakrishnan, born in a village of Kerala, lived and grew up in Singapore and Malaysia before moving to the UK in 1963 to study at the London School of Economics.
Balakrishnan's case was called completely unique by Scotland Yard and his conviction came after a lengthy hearing.
"It seems extraordinary that Balakrishnan could command such control over so many people, however all of the victims have told us in great detail that they very much believed his claims of power and greatness and the threats he made to them. They all described feelings of fear and being totally controlled him," PTI quuoted Detective chief superintendent Tom Manson, from the Metropolitan Police's Organised Crime Command, as saying
"All of the women have faced huge challenges in adapting to day-to-day life since they left Balakrishnan's control but with the support of a number of charities and professionals are making exceptional progress and their bravery deserves recognition and praise," he added.
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