Odisha police arrested a self-styled godman from his ashram on Saturday at Bharbhil in Cuttack district for his alleged role in kidnapping a woman.

The self-styled godman has been identified as Kaibalya Jani, 55.

Police swung into action after the parents of a woman from Dhenkanal district complained about missing their daughter last week.

Following the complaint, police did a recce, kept a vigil on the ashram and the movement of people going in and out of the ashram.

Police raided the self-proclaimed godman s ashram on Saturday evening while he was performing a special puja for his followers on the occasion of Navami.

The self-styled godman, Jani, failed to answer the police questions following which he was arrested on the charge of kidnapping the 23-year-old woman.

Police also seized his car and some objectionable and incriminating materials from the premises of the Ashram.

The police also found many intimate photographs of the self-styled godman with various women.

Sources said that cops rescued the 23-year-old woman from Khurda, some 25km from Bhubaneswar and 70km from the ashram. She reportedly did not cooperate with the police and family members during the investigation.