Moscow (AsiaNews) - Security forces in the province of Novosibirsk have put an end to the activities of the "Ashram Shambala" sect and arrested its leader, Konstantin Rudnev. Investigators accuse him of penal crimes such as creating a religious association without a permit, rape and sexual assault. At present, investigations are ongoing throughout the sect activities in the province.
According to the authorities reconstructions, the 'Ashram Shambala "is based on the practice of secret rites of oriental origin. The cult members, mostly young people between 17 and 30, are psychologically manipulated and forced to live in apartment blocks, cutting ties with their families. Among the "rites" of the ideology of the sect, according to investigators, are sexual orgies practiced under the influence of drugs.
The sect has been targeted by the secret services and police since 2008, when the investigations in case of a missing woman from Bredsk led to two cottages belonging to the "Ashram Shambala." On that occasion, religious books were seized, 23 laptops, but no criminal proceedings were ever opened.
According to 1999 estimates by the Directorate of Internal Affairs, the sect has 10 thousand members in the territory of Novosibirsk.
The Russian authorities are obsessed with the danger of religious sects in the country. Often, however, persecution is hidden behind the battle against the proliferation of the phenomenon, as in the case of Jehovah's Witnesses.