Maduro, who was raised Catholic, was introduced to Sathya Sai Baba by his wife Cilia Flores before their marriage. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Colia Flores, “captured” in an operation undertaken by the United States, have a little-known India connection via the late spiritual leader Sathya Sai. President Donald Trump’s US administration has accused the couple of overseeing a cocaine-trafficking network. The military operation is the biggest US intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989.
US special forces entered Caracas in helicopters over the weekend and smashed through Maduro’s security cordon to capture him from the door of a safe room. The US has alleged that Maduro parterned with violent groups including Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombian FARC rebels and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, Reuters reported. Maduro has denied these allegations, while saying that they were a guise for US’ oil interests in the country.
Years before the global sanctions and political crackdowns, Maduro developed a spiritual connection in India through his wife, Cilia Flores. Maduro, who was raised Catholic, was introduced to Sathya Sai Baba by Flores before their marriage, and both became followers of the Indian spiritual leader, the report said.
Around eight years before he took over as the President of Venezuela, Maduro along with his partner Flores visited Prasanthi Nilayam ashram in Puttaparthi of Andhra Pradesh in 2005 to meet Sathya Sai Baba. A photograph from the visit shows young Maduro and Flores sitting on the floor alongside the spiritual leader. In 2011, after the death of Sathya Sai Baba, Maduro, who was then the foreign minister of Venezuela, pushed for and facilitated the passing of an official condolence resolution in the country’s national assembly.
Moreover, for its National Day Celebrations in 2024, the Venezuelan government sent out invitations with the symbol “om” on the top left corner. Maduro further honoured Sathya Sai Baba’s centenary in November, 2025, describing the spiritual leader as a “being of light”.
