The leader of a notorious quasi-religious cult, suspected of recruiting thousands of people and turning them into voluntary sex slaves, has been arrested in Russia. The man has evaded prosecution several times before.
Konstantin Rudnev, leader of the "Ashram Shambala" sect has been put in custody in the Western Siberian city of Novosibirsk and charged with sexual assault, rape and the creation of a society involved in violence and the violation of human rights, police said. The victim of the alleged assault is a 27-year-old member of the sect.
Police arrested Rudnev at one of the organization's safe-houses. There they also found four girls who were on the missing persons list, a package of heroine, religious paraphernalia, literature and video footage.
