A United States-based Hindu pandit with longstanding ties to Guyana has been charged with sexual assault in Canada after allegedly convincing a woman that she was possessed by evil spirits and needed a religious ceremony to be healed.
The Durham Regional Police Service has identified the accused as Rajendranauth Doodnauth Maraj, 50, of Richmond Hill, New York.
Maraj was arrested on Tuesday after police responded to a sexual assault report in the vicinity of Harmony Road North and Conlin Road East in Oshawa, Ontario.
According to the police, the woman and her family had hired Maraj to travel from the United States to Canada to perform a Hindu religious ceremony.
“The pandit deceived the victim into believing she was possessed by evil spirits and needed a specific ceremony to heal herself,” the police alleged.
Investigators said Maraj then persuaded the woman to accompany him to a private location, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her under the guise of conducting the ceremony.
The matter was subsequently reported and Maraj was arrested without incident. He was charged with sexual assault and held for a bail hearing.
Canadian police have released his photograph.
Although the police release described Maraj only as a resident of Richmond Hill, New York, public religious and social-media posts establish longstanding connections between him and Guyana.
His publicly accessible Facebook profile lists Georgetown, Guyana, while several posts identify him as an officiating priest associated with the Bhawani Shankar Mandir at 275 BB Eccles New Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.
A post advertising services at the mandir identified “Pt Rajendranauth Maraj” as its officiating priest. Other posts showed him participating in religious activities at the Eccles temple.
A 2024 announcement from the Kali Yatra Festival also introduced Maraj as a pandit who had travelled “all the way from Guyana” to perform nightly Kali Puja.
In the Canadian case, investigators have asked anyone with information about this or similar incidents to contact Detective Constable Cronin of the East Division Criminal Investigations Branch at 1-888-579-1520, extension 1605.
Anonymous information may be submitted to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or through its website.
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