Gregorian Bivolaru is also wanted for arrest by Interpol for alleged aggravated trafficking in human beings.
ADVERTISEMENTThe leader of a multinational tantric yoga organisation has been arrested by French authorities on suspicion of indoctrinating female followers for sexual exploitation.
Gregorian Bivolaru, the Romanian guru at the heart of the Atman Yoga Federation, was detained on Tuesday during a massive police operation across the Paris region, according to a French judicial official.
The 71-year-old is an internationally known yoga teacher and author whose federation, also known as the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute (Misa), is headquartered in England.
The movement has many yoga schools and branches, a source close to the investigation said. “It is difficult to quantify the number of followers,” but “it’s several hundred people”.
Other alleged “important leaders” of the sect in France have been arrested, the source added.
Alleged abuses
According to French officials, the investigation into Bivolaru and the Federation began in July 2023 after reports were made of psychological manipulation and sexual exploitation within the organisation. Former Misa members first alerted authorities to the alleged abuses in July 2022.
Bivolaru is being charged with human trafficking, organised kidnapping, rape, and organised abuse of weakness by members of a sect, according to French authorities.
Wanted by Interpol
International police agency Interpol also issued a notice for Bivolaru's arrest on behalf of authorities in Finland, where he is wanted for alleged aggravated trafficking of human beings.
The Altman Federation's website and other sites on Bivolaru allege that he is the victim of a wide-ranging plot to discredit him.
The raids in France involved 175 police officers and resulted in 40 other arrests across the French capital, Seine-et-Marne, Val-de-Marne, and the Alpes-Maritimes.
Several locations used by the organisation, where 26 women were reportedly indoctrinated and coerced into sexual practices, were targeted in the operation.
Described as “ashrams,” the locations served as housing for women selected by Bivolaru for initiation into tantric yoga practices, according to French authorities.
Bivolaru, who was convicted of raping a minor in his native Romania, founded Misa in 1990. The organisation expanded internationally as the Atman Yoga Federation.
The French investigation found evidence that students were coerced into sexual activities that included participating in explicit video chats for monetary gain, according to the judicial official.
These alleged activities, purportedly carried out under the pretence of tantric yoga teachings, formed a part of an intricate system of financial exploitation and control, the official said.