New Delhi: The Interpol has issued a Blue Corner notice against fugitive self-styled godman Nithyananda, wanted in India for alleged rape and abduction, officials said on Wednesday.


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Officials told IANS that the notice was issued much before on the request of Gujarat Police to locate the controversial godman. A Blue Corner notice makes it mandatory for member countries to share whereabouts of a person involved in a crime.


Nithyananda had allegedly fled India without a passport to save himself from a rape case registered against him in Karnataka.


The Ministry of External Affairs had last year cancelled Nithyananda`s passport, and also "sensitised" all its foreign missions and posts to keep track of his movements.


The MEA said Nithyananda had a passport issued in 2008 with a 10-year validity but it was cancelled before 2018. Nithyananda had applied for a fresh passport but was denied police clearance.


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Recently, Ecuador denied Nithyananda`s presence and said it had rejected his request for asylum.


Nithyananda`s real name is Rajashekharan and he is a native of Tamil Nadu. He opened an ashram near Bengaluru in the early 2000s. His teachings were said to be based on those of Osho Rajneesh.


In 2010 a video of him in a compromising position with an actress emerged online and he was later arrested on charges of rape. He was also arrested and charge-sheeted in a separate case of rape later.


According to reports, Nithyananda is now being investigated by French authorities for alleged fraud involving $4,00,000.


Last month, an FIR was registered against Nithyananda after two girls went missing from his ashram in Ahmedabad -- Yogini Sarvagyapeetham. He was charged with kidnapping and wrongful confinement of children to make them collect donations from followers to run his ashram