The Biratnagar High Court yesterday gave order to keep the self-styled godman Krishna Das Giri aka Siddhababa in police custody, but Giri managed to flee to India.

A joint bench of Chief Justice Til Prasad Shrestha and advocate Prem Raj Karki yesterday ordered to send Giri in judicial custody for further investigation into the rape case filed against him.

Before this, Sunsari District Court had ordered to release Giri on Rs 300,000 bail. The Biratnagar High Court, however, overturned the erstwhile decision at 1:00 pm yesterday and decided that Giri should be jailed during the investigation.

An hour before the court’s decision, Giri managed to flee the country to India. He crossed the Biratnagar-based Jogbani border in a Bolero jeep. He was accompanied by a police constable.

Giri had asked the police constable to get off the jeep for some time, citing some personal work, and managed to abscond.

Giri is accused of raping one of his female followers at his Ashram in Chatara of Sunsari. According to a complaint filed by his alleged victim at the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police, she was raped in the Ashram on October 21.