Bala Sai Baba, regarded as a Godman by his devotees, has died of heart attack in Hyderabad's Virinchi hospital. He was 58.

Based out of Kurnool, Bala built a cult over decades by leveraging his alleged divine powers. He would famously hold peace sabhas in his town, inviting celebs to such "global" events. He would perform "manipulative miracles" (especially the 'Aatma Lingam' trick) on the stage, drawing the ire of rationalists like those of Jana Vignana Vedika.

While there are several controversies regarding his background, it's believed by many that the "fake" Baba's rise owes to political patronage. Many times, he hogged the limelight by making grand statements. For example, he once said in an interview that he doesn't worship any God as he himself is one.

God or not, there are serious allegations that he amassed wealth illegally in the pretext of running ashram activities.