French police arrest yoga guru in connection with alleged rape, human trafficking and kidnapping plot

French Police arrested yoga guru Gregorian Bivolaru and 41 others this week on charges of kidnapping, rape, and human trafficking. The alleged victims were promised a spiritual awakening but were manipulated into having sexual relations with Bivolaru. The victims, from multiple nationalities, claimed to be lured under the pretext of tantra yoga, where consent was dismissed in the context of spiritual awakening. According to the judicial source, Bivolaru claimed that he was a victim of a political plot. The investigation, which was initiated after a year of research, involved 175 French police officers, resulting in the arrest of Bivolaru and others in Paris and other regions. Bivolaru’s organization, the Movement for Spiritual Integration in the Absolute (MISA), denied any wrongdoing when contacted by CNN for comment, claiming he hasn’t taught yoga since 1995. However, it is not the first time that Bivolaru faced serious charges. He was previously convicted of raping a minor in Romania and sentenced to prison. He was also on Interpol’s “wanted” list for criminal charges of aggravated human trafficking in Finland. Bivolaru’s “school” network was founded in Romania in 1990 and has since expanded to other countries. MISA describes itself as “the largest yoga school in Europe” and refers to Bivolaru as its “spiritual mentor”.