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Goch: Large-scale police operation
Photo: Guido Schulmann / dpa
The public prosecutor's office expanded its allegations against a man who is said to be a leading member of an alleged sect in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The 58-year-old was accused of child abuse in ten cases between 2006 and 2008, said a spokesman for the Kleve public prosecutor.
In addition, the Dutchman is suspected of having committed two rapes in Goch in 2019.
He is now in custody.
The man was arrested on Wednesday during a major operation in Goch.
The police had come across a suspected sect on the site of a former monastery.
A 25-year-old is said to have been held there against her will.
She was released and taken to safety, according to police.
The suspect is therefore also accused of deprivation of liberty.
Apparently locked up for more than a week
The Dutchman is said to have "locked up the 25-year-old or deprived her of her freedom in some other way," said the public prosecutor's spokesman in Kleve.
She has since been questioned, as have numerous witnesses.
In addition, the man is accused of bodily harm.
Victim is said to be a member of the community encountered in Goch.
"You can also say: a sect"
According to the investigating authority, "a religious community has established itself on the site of an event company with several event rooms, one could also say: a sect".
According to initial findings, this is probably the controversial association "Order of the Transformants".
"Orde" is Dutch and means order.
The police proceeded "extremely cautiously" during the operation, said the prosecutor.
Also because there were references to children in advance.
It was initially unclear whether the people encountered belong to the "order" and can stay on the property.
According to the public prosecutor, the investigation is only directed against the 58-year-old.
The officers found a total of 54 people on the area, including ten children.
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