Buenos Aires (Argentina) - His followers believe him to be a divine being, but his actions are causing horror. The notorious cult leader Konstantin Rudnew (57) has been caught by the Argentinian police.

More than 30 years ago, he founded the horror cult Ashram Shambala, forcing his followers to do unimaginable things and preaching a crude mixture of Eastern philosophy and belief in UFOs.

Now the fugitive cult leader, who calls himself the "extraterrestrial from Sirius", has been arrested in the Argentinian Andes. This is reported by the newspaper El País.

The police found several malnourished people at the sect's property. In addition to sexy lingerie and sex toys, plenty of cocaine tablets, other drugs and cash were also seized.

In his native Russia , Rudnev is no unknown quantity, reports the investigative medium Meduza.

He founded his organization at the end of the 1980s, claiming to be a divine being. Sometimes he called himself "Alien from Sirius", sometimes "Great Shaman" or even "Embryo who came to Earth through a UFO". Up to 20,000 people are said to have joined his sect at times. Konstantin Rudnev wrote down his supposed wisdom in his book "The Way of the Fool".

However, a cruel regime prevailed at Ashram Shambala. He systematically starved his followers, forced the female members to have sex and the trained engineer is also said to have molested minors. Anyone who did not comply was subjected to violence. The charlatan is also said to have regularly drugged his followers. In 2014, the cult leader was sentenced to ten years in prison. After his release, Rudnev fled to Montenegro with his most fanatical followers.

However, the police soon began investigating him there. The 57-year-old is said to have recruited more followers in Russia and brought them to Montenegro, where he pretended to organize yoga classes. But instead of gaining enlightenment, the women had to take part in sex orgies. He sold the disgusting recordings on the internet. The police in the small Balkan state called it "ritual pornography".

In 2024, Rudnew fled Europe head over heels after the police cracked down on his group. Several people were arrested at the time.

The police discovered the sect when two cult followers presented a half-starved 22-year-old woman to the hospital in the remote old town of Bariloche , reports the news portal Infobae.

The hospital staff suspected human trafficking and the police took action.

When the young woman was rescued from the clutches of the sect, she was heavily pregnant and has since given birth. The father is said to be the cult leader. Konstantin Rudnew apparently hoped that by having a baby he would be able to obtain a permanent right to stay in Argentina. The girl had previously been brought from Russia to Argentina by Rudnev's cultists.

"The alien from Sirius" was arrested with six companions at the local airport and is now in prison.