In India, a large section of devotees are obsessed with spirituality and religion. This has given rise to individuals who become self-styled godmen, with lakhs of followers. While many self-proclaimed godmen have built a coterie with an indomitable persona, others have been caught up in controversies.

Many of them have time and again abused their status, faith of their devotees and committed heinous crimes like rape, assault, kidnapping and murder until some were caught and others managed to flee. Here are 6 self-proclaimed godmen and their gamble with law over the years….

Video Producer: Mayank Chawla

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma