Sect leader claiming to be 'alien' arrested in Argentina
The Argentine police have arrested Russian citizen Konstantin Rudnev. He is the leader of the Ashram Shambala sect, founded during the Soviet era, who styled himself as "an alien from the star Sirius" and allegedly raped his female followers, according to local media reports.
- Konstantin Rudnev was detained at Bariloche Airport while attempting to flee to Brazil. He was accompanied by seven women who appeared undernourished.
- Rudnev is suspected of leading a criminal group and sexually exploiting women. During the arrest, he attempted to cut his throat.
- The Ashram Shambala sect was founded in 1989 in Novosibirsk and attracted 20,000 followers, mainly young women.
Rudnev was arrested over the weekend at the airport in the city of Bariloche, Patagonia, from where he was attempting to escape from Argentina to Brazil. Along with him, seven women, mostly Russians, who appeared undernourished, were detained. Another six individuals were arrested at the airport in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, according to the Infobae portal.
Rudnev is suspected of running a criminal organisation and sexually exploiting women. During the arrest, he attempted to cut his throat with a razor blade hidden in his wallet, but officers overpowered him, reported station TN.
According to Infobae sources, none of the women accompanying Rudnev was older than 40. One of the investigators noted that all the women were so thin it appeared they survived only on scraps, as instructed by their leader.
20,000 followers of the sect
According to the newspaper "Clarin," the Russian founded the Ashram Shambala sect in 1989 in Novosibirsk. It later expanded its operations to many regions of Russia and attracted 20,000 followers, mainly young women with personal problems, who were subjected to brainwashing and exploitation.
Rudnev was arrested in 1999 but managed to escape from a psychiatric hospital at that time. In 2013, a court in Novosibirsk sentenced him to 11 years in prison for rape, sexual assault, and drug-related charges. According to Russian media, he was released in 2021.
It is unclear what Rudnev and the detained women were doing in Bariloche, but the press speculates that the Russian may have intended to move his operations to Argentina. Investigators suspect that exploitation or human trafficking might have taken place.
Rudnev's arrest was prompted by an investigation linked to a 22-year-old Russian woman who reported to a hospital in Bariloche in advanced stages of pregnancy. She was accompanied by other Russian women who prevented her from speaking, and she herself refused to answer questions about her place of residence and the child's father's identity, raising suspicions that she might be a victim of human trafficking.
