Girls come in defence of Shifu 'master'

Two days after the Mumbai police filed a remand application in court, seeking custody of the alleged 'cult' leader of Shifu Sunkriti, Sunil Kulkarni, and stated that it needed to locate the whereabouts of two women who left their home under his influence, the siblings, on Friday, said they were surprised that the police had not contacted them for statements yet, as they were eagerly waiting to tell their side of the story.

"We are eager to record our statement because we have not been exploited by Kulkarni, nor are we victims of Shifu Sunkriti. We are shocked that we are being portrayed as victims of our mentor," said Shivangi Sule, the elder sister.

A senior police officer, who is part of the investigation, said, "We expect more girls, who have been victims of the accused, to approach us and record their statements."

A crime branch officer said, "The Maharashtra Medical Council has confirmed that he (Kulkarni) is not a medical professional, nor an MBBS nor MD in psychiatry. It is clear he was posing as a doctor without a valid degree".