Controversial godman Asaram Bapu was arrested by the Jodhpur police, 20 minutes past midnight. According to Times Now, the godman is now being taken to Rajasthan via Delhi.

The midnight swoop came hours after the Rajasthan police stopped his sermons late in the evening and whisked him away for interrogation.

SP Indore (East) OP Tripathi confirmed to TOI that Asaram, who is accused of sexually abusing a minor in Jodhpur, was taken out of the ashram in a white Tavera. The car carrying Asaram later reached Indore airport. According to Times Now, the godman is being taken to Rajasthan via Delhi. The 35-member Rajasthan police team is led by ACP Satish Jahangir.

The MP police slammed shut the ashram gates to avoid supporters' face-off with the Jodhpur cops. Thousands of Asaram supporters are locked inside the compound of the ashram as reports last came in. Barricades were put up outside Asaram's fortified ashram and the government rushed additional forces to Indore to avert a law and order problem. The situation at the ashram turned volatile with at least 400 more Asaram supporters trooping inside.

Earlier, the Jodhpur police blew the cover off Asaram Bapu, when they managed to slip into his fortified ashram in Indore through the rear, throwing thousands of devotees off-guard on Saturday. The policemen found Asaram holed up inside the ashram and in perfect health, punching holes into his son's statement to the media that the godman was unwell and being treated.

On Friday, Asaram indulged in high drama, missing a Delhi flight in the nick of time, then going missing and suddenly resurfacing in Indore. But the wily godman failed to fox the Jodhpur police, who managed to sneak into his impregnable ashram.

The Jodhpur police demanded Asaram's medical reports and forced him to be re-examined by accompanying doctors. The doctors found the guru fit for interrogation.

The 72-year-old religious preacher, who has been accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old schoolgirl who studied at Asaram's ashram in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara and stayed in a girls' hostel there.

The girl had made a complaint at a police station in Delhi on August 20 and the spiritual leader has since then denied the allegation.

Plea against godman for Sonia slur
Indore-based lawyer on Saturday filed a petition in a local court seeking action against controversial godman Asaram Bapu, who is accused of sexual abuse of a minor girl, for allegedly making unsavoury remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. Petitioner Shailendra Dwivedi said he has filed the application in the court of judicial magistrate first class Ajay Pendam who has fixed the date of hearing to Sept 19. Dwivedi said he wanted action against Asaram under sections 153 (a) (promoting religious hatred), 298 (uttering words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The advocate said he filed the petition on the basis of the statement made by Asaram insinuating Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for his troubles.