Mistaken identity lands godman in trouble with Interpol

GOOD GOD! A swami, whose real name is the same as that of a wanted criminal, is now in a fix.

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Thiruvananthapuram: Jyotish-expert Swami Amritachaithanya never predicted that his name could land him in a big mess.

On Thursday, the UAE Interpol issued a Red Corner notice in the name of one Santosh Madhavan in a cheating case. The swami's real name, too, is Santosh Madhavan and the photo posted on the Interpol website closely resembled him.

The CBI Website, too, mentions a Santosh Madhavan as wanted for possession of illegal arms in the 1993 Bombay Blasts case.

Soon, the state police were on the swami's trail, but returned empty-handed after a raid on his flat in Kochi. With the local media adding to the heat, the Swami himself surfaced with clarifications.

“I came to know about this through the media and was shocked to hear it. The real Santosh Madhavan is shown on the CBI 's site. It has no resemblance to me, except the name,” said Madhavan. “Even if you check the year of birth, mine is 1973,where as the Site says 1960.”

So now, Interpol does seem to think the man is a criminal in disguise. His photograph no longer exists on their Website.

Moreover, on Saturday, the CBI said that the real Santosh Madhavan is in a Mumbai prison, sentenced for possession of arms in the 1993 Mumbai blast.

The Kerala police says it cannot take any action against him, as there is no case against the swami in India.

With inputs from R Reghuraj in Cochin