Controversial spiritual leader known as Buddha Boy apprehended in Nepal amidst sexual abuse allegations
Ram Bahadur Bomjan, a revered spiritual leader known as 'Buddha Boy,' was apprehended by local authorities in Nepal for allegedly exploiting a minor sexually The arrest took place when he was attempting to flee from the charges
Nepal police have arrested Ram Bahadur Bomjan, a spiritual leader known as Buddha Boy, on charges of sexual abuse. Supporters who believe he is the reincarnation of Buddha are divided over the allegations.
In 2020, an arrest warrant was issued against him for the alleged sexual abuse of a minor girl who was reportedly living as a nun at his ashram in the Bara district, south of the capital Kathmandu. CNN has been unsuccessful in reaching Bomjan for a comment and confirming whether he has legal representation.
Following a tip-off, the police located the 34-year-old on the outskirts of Kathmandu and arrested him as he attempted to escape. They also found and confiscated over a dozen mobile phones, five laptops and tablets, as well as over $200,000 in Nepali and foreign currencies at his residence. This incident occurred almost twenty years after he initially captured international interest. According to local media reports from 2005, at the age of 15, he spent 10 months in the jungle in intense prayer. His followers asserted that he did so without consuming food, sleep, or water.
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The claims were never independently confirmed, but they led some to praise him as the reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in Nepal 2,500 years ago and later became known as Buddha, meaning "enlightened one."
Bomjan's nickname "Buddha Boy" contributed to his growing fame, drawing thousands from across the country and neighboring India to visit him while he was in the jungle.
Two years after, Bomjan started preaching and drew an audience of around 3,000 people during his initial sermon, as stated on his website. Following this, he and his supporters established a series of ashrams across Nepal focused on his teachings. However, Bomjan has faced allegations of misconduct in recent years, with his ashram being raided in 2019 in connection with the disappearance of four of his followers.
". Further investigations and searches are underway to locate the missing followers from Bomjan's ashram at different times," said police on Wednesday. The sexual abuse charges involve a nun who accused him of raping her at one of his ashrams when she was a minor in 2018.
At the time, officials at Bodhi Shrawan Dharma Sangha, the organization that manages Bomjans ashrams, denied the rape allegations in a news conference, calling them "completely made-up."
