Indian-origin massage therapist jailed in Australia for molesting 61 women

A shocking case from Australia’s Adelaide city has come to light where an Indian-origin massage therapist has been sentenced to 13 years and 10 months in prison for sexually abusing dozens of women at a massage parlour.

The court described his actions as ‘exploitative’ and said the accused had repeatedly misused the trust of women who approached him for therapy sessions.

The accused, identified as 39-year-old Sumit Satish Rastogi, worked at a massage centre in Glenelg, a western suburb of Adelaide, between October 2021 and July 2022. During this period, he sexually abused multiple women who had visited the parlour for massage treatment.

The District Court of South Australia convicted Rastogi after he admitted to a total of 97 offences, including 55 counts related to creating obscene material and 42 counts of indecent assault.

Investigations revealed that Rastogi had moved from Delhi to Adelaide in 2011 and was working as a massage therapist without possessing any formal qualifications or degree required for the profession. Authorities said he was illegally offering paid massage services despite lacking professional certification.

The matter surfaced in July 2022 after police arrested him following complaints from victims.

According to investigators, Rastogi secretly recorded obscene videos and photographs of women during massage sessions and also tampered with their undergarments. Several women alleged that he touched them inappropriately and committed sexual assaults during treatment sessions.

The court was told that the offences took place over nine months and left several victims deeply traumatised.

During court proceedings, victims said they continued to suffer mental trauma because of the abuse. One woman revealed that the incident occurred during her honeymoon trip after marriage, turning what should have been one of the happiest memories of her life into a traumatic experience.

Some victims also said the incidents shattered their trust in male healthcare professionals, including doctors and physiotherapists.

A psychiatric evaluation presented before the court stated that Rastogi suffers from Voyeuristic Disorder, a mental condition in which a person experiences sexual arousal from secretly observing partially clothed or unclothed individuals.

However, the judge clarified that while the diagnosis may explain aspects of his behaviour, it does not reduce the seriousness of the offences or absolve him of criminal responsibility.

The court sentenced Rastogi to 13 years and 10 months in prison, with a non-parole period of 10 years and 10 months. Since the sentence is being counted from the date of his arrest in 2022, he is expected to become eligible for parole in 2035.

Under Australian law, he will also be permanently deported to India after completing his prison sentence.