Osho Resort in Pune suffers outbreak of Thievery
Insider job in Resort Thefts
Sannyasnews has for some time argued that the Pune Resort needed to readopt in some measure the practices of the older commune, basically recruiting volunteers interested in making their work a meditation, and supporting such volunteers in the normal way with food and accommodation, and a little pocket money. This always worked very well in the past. Now just three days ago employees at the Resort are accused of stealing from those who come to seek the ways of meditation and therapy. It seems to us an untutored way by the Resort Management of dealing with the ordinary jobs of life at the very least. The information below is taken from Indian Newspapers over the weekend.
The Pune police on Friday arrested four persons. They were two house keeping supervisors and two multi-purpose workers at the Osho Commune, for allegedly stealing Rs 3.37 lakhs from eight foreign nationals who came to the ashram for meditation.
The suspects have been identified as Vishal Devidas Jogdand (30) of Yerwada, Mahesh Rajendra Atargekar (35) of Kothrud, both house keeping supervisors at the Osho Commune; and Babu Alisaheb Todam (20) of Yerwada, Ashpak Wasim Shaikh of Yerwada, both multi-purpose workers at the commune.
Swami Dhyanesh Bharati, the security and public relations officer of the Osho International Mediation Resort had lodged the complaint at the Bund Garden police station. Investigation officer, sub-inspector B D Dhere said the suspects were produced before the Shivajinagar court on the 16th January. “The court has remanded the suspects to police custody until January 18,” he said.
Dhere said that between September 2009 to January 2, 2010, incidents of theft took place at the guest rooms in the Osho Commune. “The security officers of Osho Commune believe that the four suspects had allegedly stolen dollars, euros and some Indian currency worth Rs 3,37,444 of eight foreigners who were residing in the guest rooms,” he said.
“We have sought police custody of the suspects to recover the stolen money and also to know whether there are more persons associated with the alleged felons. An investigation is also on to find out if the suspects have stolen money of additional persons (other than the eight so far identified) in the Osho commune,” he said.