Kannur: On an August day in 2021, a 15-minute testimonial voice message from a Kerala bureaucrat about a man he called Mahaguru Himalayan Master Ashraf Baba Maharaj was posted on a Telegram group of over a thousand spiritual seekers. The message went like this: “ My name is Shri C Bhadran. I was the Kerala government’s Additional Law Secretary, legal adviser of the Kerala Police and DGP, and registrar of the Kerala State Medical Council. Now I am the registrar of Kerala Dental Council. Shri Ashraf Master left Kerala at 16 and travelled to the Himalayan regions. Respect the guru, touch his feet, and seek his blessings. That is all I wish to say about Shri Ashraf Master. The rest, society will come to know in the days to come."

Three years and six months after Bhadran’s reverential words, the Kannur Police have launched an investigation into the so-called 'Himalayan Master' following allegations from his disciples that he swindled at least Rs 15 crore by promising them effortless success in achieving their desires.

Ashraf would throw around mystical terms such as “activating the Kundalini”; awakening the third eye; divine frequency; and controlling the universal energy in his sessions and served potions to his followers.

"For an outsider, they may sound like gibberish but for us, as spiritual seekers under his trance, they were the path to peace," said a medical doctor, who has been Ashraf’s disciple since 2022. Today, she suspects Ashraf was also peddling psychedelic drugs to disciples willing to pay a premium for their Kundalini awakening. "I used to experience a certain euphoria after taking his potion,” said the doctor from Malappuram, requesting anonymity.

Another disciple, who has written to the chief minister and the state police chief seeking an investigation, said, "I would laugh uncontrollably for at least three hours after taking a teaspoon of Ashraf’s potion,” said the complainant from Kottayam. But there are others who just break down and sob after consuming the same potion, he said. Ashraf told the disciples that the potion was made with herbs from the Himalayas.

These sessions, 'Kundalini Kriyas', were far more expensive than the regular class, which was priced at Rs 14,500 per session. Ashraf charged Rs 50,000 for the first session of Kundalini Kriya, and Rs 1 lakh for the second, increasing the fee by Rs 50,000 for each subsequent session, said the complainant. "I did six kriyas, spending over Rs 10 lakh. It was addictive. I pledged my property and borrowed money, chasing success without realising I was ruining my family,” he said.

The doctor said she attended two Kundalini Kriya sessions but dropped out of the third when the 'Himalayan Master' told her it required applying cow dung or clay all over her body. "I realised I had to undress for that, and I was not comfortable. So I backed off," she said.

When asked, the Kottayam complainant said his third session did not involve cow dung or clay. "I think Ashraf tried to take advantage of her. But his team is very particular that those who undergo Kundalini Kriyas do not discuss their experiences or interact with others who have taken them,” he said.

Repeated calls and a text message to Ashraf's mobile phone went unanswered.

How Ashraf built credibility
Ashraf's team included both serving and retired government officials, such as Bhadran. Around four months before, when Ashraf’s bliss was running into trouble, his confidant Sanil I P, the vice-principal of the State Forest Training Institute in Walayar, posted a voice message in Ashraf’s WhatsApp and Telegram groups.

"He moves stylishly among people, wearing jeans, T-shirts, and cooling glasses. When you see such a master, you might feel like throwing an arm over his shoulder, standing beside him like an old friend. But beware — if you do, you will be touching the transformer of the universe."

Other team members also used the transformer metaphor and explicitly said that those touching Ashraf would be reduced to ashes.

When contacted, Sanil said he had given his statement to the police and had nothing more to add. "Please contact the police for my version," he said.

Kannur Town Police Station House Officer (SHO) — Inspector Sreejith Koderi said Sanil has denied being part of Ashraf’s team. "Sanil said he has only attended his classes," said the SHO, who is investigating the case.

Irrespective of his statement, Sanil and retired forest official Vinod Kumar P V were the only two administrators of a WhatsApp group called 'Himalayan Mystic Third Eye', which included all of Ashraf’s disciples. "Only admins could post messages or add members, and Sanil and Vinod Kumar controlled the group," said Himoj M P, a home appliances technician from Kannur and one of the complainants.

Sanil had also invited Ashraf to the State Forest Training Institute in Walayar, where recruits were made to give him a guard of honour and attend his class, Himoj alleged, sharing video footage of the event.

Bhadran, the former law bureaucrat, said Sanil introduced him to Ashraf but claimed he had only attended his classes. However, in another audio message, he described himself as the patron and legal adviser to the Himalayan Mystic Third Eye Trust. In a separate video, Bhadran can be seen endorsing Ashraf’s so-called mystical powers. "Ask the complainants if they can produce any document linking me to the trust,” he told Onmanorama, not denying the authenticity of voice and video messages.

Bhadran is not listed as an accused in the case. The FIR names Sanil, Vinod Kumar, Dr Abhinand T, an ad hoc employee at the government-run Women and Children Hospital at Kanhangad in Kasaragod district; former CBI officer and retired DySP K S Panicker of Haripad in Alappuzha district; and Anirudhan, a former coordinator of Ashraf's programmes, as accused.

Government officials played a crucial role in Ashraf’s rise as a secular spiritual leader, using emotional manipulation to instil fear and unquestioning loyalty among his followers. One such tactic was the strategic use of a video featuring Judge Rajesh R of the Fast Track Special (POCSO) Court in Taliparamba. In the video, the judge is seen touching Ashraf’s feet and seeking his blessing before ushering him to a private room on the first floor of his house in Taliparamba. "The video was extensively used to bolster Ashraf’s credibility as a spiritual master," said a complainant.

An advocate practising in the Fast Track Court said the judge often described himself as a spiritual person but he might not be aware of Ashraf’s alleged fraudulent side.

The Reel Guru
The 'Himalayan Master' was born as K A Ashraf Karuvilli at Arakkapady village in Vengola grama panchayat near Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district. His wife is employed with the Kerala Printing Department.

Ashraf often repeated in classes that he reached the Himalayas after joining the Indian Army at the age of 17. After spending a "lifetime" in the Himalayas and interacting with spiritual gurus in the mountains, he returned to Kerala as the "Himalayan Master" at age 35.

Around 10 years ago, he started the School of Third Eye with his collaborator Anirudhan. The school promised to remove financial constraints, cure diseases, and more.

Ashraf was often seen clad in pink — whether a pink shirt, tracksuit, or blazer, and paired with blue jeans and fancy sneakers. At functions, he would arrive in escorted vehicles, his bodyguards forming a protective ring around him as he strutted toward the stage, trailed by a band. He moved with the swagger of a superstar guru. Sanil called the get-up 'modern'.

His videos portray him as a supernatural being. In one video, Ashraf takes a deep breath and thrusts the air forward with his open hands. The man standing before him is sent flying to the ground, lifeless. "I saw Ashraf’s videos on YouTube and got drawn to his School of Third Eye," said Satheesh Kallamkulam, a native of Pala, with an aspiration to become an actor. After losing lakhs of rupees, he realised Ashraf duped him, and recently filed a complaint against the guru and his team.

Energy master and empty talk
Ashraf often told his interviewers that he helped people by unlocking their Third Eye. He has a penchant for explaining complex ideas. "People have problems. They don’t have time. If I have to explain in simple Malayalam, I would say when thoughts leave the mind in the state of gamma waves at 342 Hz or Schumann resonance, their wavelength transforms them into solid, liquid, or gaseous form. Some call it a miracle."

If that flew over the head, here’s another gem. "If we go back in time, we started as Homo sapiens and have now reached the human form. In another one lakh years, we will evolve into a new being," Ashraf claimed.

In one video, Ashraf was seen dishing out this same energy lesson to a studious-looking Sanil at the State Forest Training Institute.

Doctors, forest officials, police officers, advocates, politicians, university and college teachers, and individuals from both the upper and lower echelons of society have reportedly fallen victim to Ashraf's Third Eye. "I have lost around Rs 4 lakh to this scam," said Sreekumar K G, a native of Chalakudy who sells books on trains. "My wife, daughter and I have been caught in this trap since December 6, 2020, when we first attended his class in Thrissur," he said. Children were told they could clear exams without studying hard if they knew how to control their energy, he said.

When Sreekumar, well-versed in the Hindu scriptures, first objected to Ashraf’s teachings, he was thrown out of the group.

One woman fled the country after she, following Ashraf’s advice, traded in cryptocurrency and incurred a loss of Rs 1 crore, said the doctor. "It was borrowed money and the police filed a cheating case against her," the doctor said.

Satheesh from Pala said women were told they had been Ashraf’s wives and partners in past lives. "I know a professor who would set aside food for Ashraf at her house before serving her husband," he said.

A female follower recounted an incident during a spiritual trip to Maharashtra, where a coordinator of Ashraf’s programme made unwanted physical advances. "Twice, he pressed his body against mine. I initially thought it was accidental and stepped away both times. Later, he approached me and claimed he was attempting to unlock trapped energy in my body. That’s when I realised he was sexually assaulting me," she said.

After multiple allegations were raised against the School of Third Eye coordinators, Ashraf shut it down in 2023, dismissed the coordinator, and distanced himself from the fallout.

Subsequently, Ashraf aligned with the Himalayan Yoga Vidya Meditation and Charitable Trust, led by retired DySP K S Panicker. “It didn't last long because Ashraf insisted on receiving the money in cash, while Panicker adhered strictly to the rules," said Satheesh.

Ashraf then gave the reins to Sanil and Vinod Kumar and a new trust was formed — the Himalayan Mystic Third Eye Trust. He issued statements saying it was the only trust he was associated with. Bhadran also supported the Himalayan Mystic Third Eye, encouraging Ashraf’s disciples to join the social media group, where Sanil and Vinod Kumar served as administrators.

The new trust was cruising on the old model when people started to see through Ashraf.

Though Ashraf claims to have taught the method to control the Third Eye in a day, he would ask the disciples to attend his classes again and again. “He said it was just like mobile recharge but for the soul,” said Satheesh, a complainant.

If the first class is priced at Rs 14,500, the “recharge classes” are priced at Rs 3,000, where Ashraf repeats the same things. “If we raise any doubts, his team members will ask us to avoid negative thinking to benefit from the class,” said Satheesh.

Mohanan A C, the proprietor of Anupama Jewellery on Kochi’s MG Road, said he escaped from Ashraf’s clutches four months ago though he suffered a loss of Rs 50,000. Ashraf asked Mohanan, a disciple, to make 150 sets of silver meditation jewellery, each priced at Rs 500. One set consists of a triangular piece to be pressed between the eyebrows and a nose ring to be attached to the base of the nose, between the nostrils (columella), without piercing it. The trust paid only for 50 sets.

But Mohanan was in for a shock when at the Third Eye class, Ashraf sold the meditation jewellery to his followers for Rs 3,000. But he was in for a bigger shock when he said he got the silver jewellery from Tibet. "When Ashraf told the disciples that he got it from Tibet, I was among the disciples,” Mohanan told Onmanorama.