Goel Ratzon, a 60-year-old guru with flowing white hair and beard, is accused of fathering 37 children since 1993 with his “wives” and his own daughters. Referred to by local media as “Israel’s Josef Fritzl”, Mr Ratzon is under arrest on suspicion of incest and sexual abuse.
Police launched an undercover investigation in June 2009 after complaints from some of the women. Mr Ratzon says the women were with him voluntarily and that a book of rules he used did not amount to enslavement.
The women and children were kept in cramped apartments in several locations in the south of Tel Aviv, according to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. Mr Rosenfeld told the AFP news agency that in one case, police raided a three-bedroomed apartment where 10 women and 17 children were found in a "terrible state" living in "horrible conditions".
Mr Ratzon is said to have asked them to live by a book of rules which specified behaviour and punishments, including fines.
He declared: "I'm perfect ... I have all the qualities a woman wants".
His lawyer, Shlomzion Gabai, told the Associated Press news agency that her client denied all the allegations, adding: "He may be different, but he's not a criminal."
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