The Interpol has urged member nations to help locate Nithyananda, the self-declared godman who fled India last year amid allegations of rape and sexual abuse.

A blue-corner notice that makes it obligatory for countries to share information on any person involved in a crime has been issued by the Interpol against Nithyananda at the behest of the Gujarat Police.

Last month, Ecuador denied the presence of the fugitive “godman” and said it had rejected his request for asylum. The Embassy of Ecuador also suggested he had left the country for Haiti.

He was charged with kidnapping and wrongful confinement of children to make them collect donations from followers to run his ashram.

The Blue Corner Notice will help the law enforcement agencies here in collecting additional information from the member countries of the Interpol about the suspect’s identity, location or activities in relation to the crime.

The Gujarat Police had sent a request to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the nodal body for Interpol matters in India, seeking a Blue Corner Notice against Nithyananda, officials said.

Following this, the Interpol issued the Blue Corner Notice against Nithyananda. After securing the Blue Corner Notice, the Gujarat Police is working to get Interpol to issue a Red Corner Notice, a global arrest warrant, against Nithyananda, source said.

The Gujarat Police had registered an FIR against Nithyananda after two girls went missing from his ashram in Ahmedabad last year.

While police continue to look for him, reports emerged in December last year that he has created a “Hindu” nation, Kailaasa, with its own flag and political setup, on an island near Ecuador.

Besides Gujarat, Nithyananda is also wanted by the Karnataka police in a similar case.

He was also arrested in 2010 in Himachal Pradesh over rape allegations.

In December last year, the Centre cancelled his passport and also rejected his application for a fresh travel document.