The Thane police have arrested a paedophile tantrik who has allegedly raped 22 minor girls by promising their struggling families that he will drive away all their woes if they offered him their children’s virginity.The police caught Vijay Thombre, 42, an LIC agent who claimed to be a tantrik, following a tip-off. In the process, they also rescued a 15-yearold girl who he was holding captive in his two-bedroom home in Dombivali’s upper middle-class Vasant Vihar complex.The police said Thombre used to deploy agents or ‘messengers’ who used to scout for targets. These messengers used to fan out around the city looking for families that are either poor or had fallen on bad times. His idea was that these desperate people would go to any length to get their lives back on track.The police said his messengers are usually women. Once his people zeroed in on a family, they would tell lofty stories of Thombre and how he has been serving society for over 18 years with his magical powers. They would also set up fake familes and introduce them to the targets. These fake families will narrate how they sought had benefited from the ‘baba’ intervention.The Thane Crime Branch’s Child Protection unit got a tip-off about Thombre three months ago. They managed to track one of his accomplices, but could not arrest as he got away just as they were organising a raid. Three weeks ago, they got a tipoff about Thombre’s location. This time, they were determined not to miss him and roped in an NGO -- International Justice Mission -- that works with the Child Protection Unit. Joint Commissioner Laxmi Narayan put his top team on the job. They also roped in a dummy devotee, a police informant.This ‘client’, who pretended to be a businessman who had run in huge losses in recent times, got an appointment at Thombre’s Dombivali flat on Thursday. As he went in, the police lay in wait outside the building.Thombre told the ‘client’that only offering a minor girl’s virginity will save him. He said the spirit of a higher power will possess him and have sexual intercourse with the girl. The pervert added that the more he has intercourse with the girl, the more her parents or relatives -- whoever in trouble -- will prosper.Around this time, the police informant noticed that a girl, who looked to be around 15 years, was in the flat and was crying. In front of the informant, the baba started forcing the girl to submit herself to him. As she refused, he threatened that bad things will happen to her family as he had such powers. He dragged her to a room and shut the door.The informant immediately signalled the waiting police team who broke into the flat and caught Thombre red-handed and rescued the girl.Her parents have gone missing. The police said they will search and arrest them also under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offfences Act. Thombre has been booked under this as well the state’s antisuperstition law. The police have also arrested Janki Hindale, Thombre’s main aide who roped in unsuspecting families. During her interrogation, she told the police that Thombre has raped 22 girls so far.Inspector Madan Ballard of the Crime Branch said, “The accused has been booked under the POCSO Act and the anti-black magic Act. The girl will be handed over to Child Welfare Commission. Investigations are on. We will trace her parents.”Sanjay Makwan, Field Director, IJM, said: “For three weeks, we were trying to trace the baba. He has exploited many minor girls, and we managed to rescue one. It was an initiative taken by Jt Cp of Thane and with combine efforts we could get him today.”