Kochi: Godman Santhosh Madhavan, who was booked in a number of criminal cases including sexual assault and fraud,  died at a private hospital here on Wednesday. He was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday night due to chest pain. 

The Kattappana native, who rose to fame as Amritha Chaithanya, was convicted for raping two minor girls at his ashram on May 20, 2009. In 2012, Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court sentenced him to 16 years in prison after finding him guilty of two other sexual assault cases. 

He was also found to have made porn videos of him molesting two minor girls who visited his ashram. Santhosh had established a trust called 'Shantitheeram' and a 16-suite ashram in Kochi.

Interpol had also named him as a wanted criminal in 2004 after booking him in a fraud case in the UAE.