The second victim claims she was sexually abused by a Lehigh Valley Hindu leader

A second victim claims she was sexually abused by a leader at a Hindu center in North Whitehall Township.

She filed a federal lawsuit on April 19, 10 days before a lawsuit making similar claims was filed.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, woman says she was repeatedly raped and sexually abused from 2001 to 2014, when she was between the ages of 5 and 17. This means she is now in her late 20s.

Another lawsuit was filed April 29 by a Philadelphia woman who claims she was sexually abused from 2004 to 2011 when she was between the ages of 5 and 12.

Each woman says she was abused as a child by Ramesh Patel, a spiritual leader at the Anoopam Mission on Clearview Road in North Whitehall Township.

Emails to the center and its parent organization in India were not returned Friday.

The girls were members of Anoopam Mission, which describes itself on its website as a “spiritual, cultural and community center.”

The victim in the lawsuit filed April 19 says she was abused by Patel in his living quarters and laundry room in the Stroudsburg and North Whitehall Township centers. She says she was abused in the basement, cabins and woods in Stroudsburg, as well as in the youth room and main auditorium of the North Whitehall Center. She accuses Patel of raping her in the woods in Stroudsburg.

Each lawsuit says Patel offered candy, toys and small gifts to lure his victims into abusive situations. The women say Patel abused his spiritual and moral authority and that Anoopam Mission failed to rein in his behavior.

Each six-count lawsuit filed by Philadelphia attorneys Martin G. Rubinstein and Stacy L. Hughes seeks an unspecified amount of damages.

It is unclear whether the victims reported the abuse to police or whether Patel is under criminal investigation. Rubenstein declined to comment. An online data search showed there were no charges filed against Patel in Lehigh or Monroe counties. The Lehigh County district attorney had no comment, and the Monroe County district attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

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Rudy Miller can be reached at [email protected].