victims. Bomjon refused to attend any potential trial, stating, "Do you think a meditating sage will go to the court to hear a case? I took action against them as per the divine law". In 2012 Nepal Police announced that they had rescued a Slovak woman from Bomjon's followers, but other reports claimed that she had been voluntarily released after media coverage of the kidnapping. Newsweek reported she had been taken from a hotel by two of Bomjon's men riding on a motorcycle and kept tied to a tree for three months and accused of practicing witchcraft in order to disturb the Boy’s meditation. However another report claimed she had been kidnapped from a monastery. When she was released she had a broken arm. A week after her release, Bomjon's siblings accused him of holding his brothers captive overnight, and beating his brothers and his sister. Followers of Bomjon also assaulted five journalists and destroyed their cameras after they had recorded one of Bomjon's sermons. In September 2018, Bomjon was accused of raping an 18 year old nun repeatedly for nearly 2 years. During a press conference organized by women's rights groups, the nun also accused his wife of trying to keep the abuse hidden so as not to "attract attacks" on their religion. Supporters of Bomjon claim that the nun was in fact involved in theft, and had been ejected from the monastery. An investigation was opened in January of 2019 after complaints from family members that four devotees had gone missing from several of Bomjon's ashrams. In the same month, police raided one of Bomjon's ashrams in Nepal, but he was not found. On February 6, 2020, the Sarlahi District Court issued an arrest warrant against Bomjon. The following day, police raided another one of his ashrams, but Bomjon again was not found. However, police did arrest one of his disciples, Gyan Bahadur Bomjan. See also Buddhism Buddha claimants Maitreya claimants inedia, the belief that some people can live without food anorexia mirabilis, a form of spiritual self-starvation References 1990s births 21st-century Buddhists Living people People from Bara District Nepalese Buddhists Tamang people Fasting