Followers, whose weight fell as low as 35kg, said to have been manipulated into following eating regime 
 
 A well-known guru of macrobiotic food who met Pope Francis is among the five people under investigation in Italy after police dismantled a bizarre “sect” that allegedly denied its followers contact with the outside world. 
 
 Mario Pianesi, the 73-year-old founder of a group in the central Marche and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy, and his wife, Loredana Volpi, are suspected of being the ringleaders of a network that manipulated victims into following a strictly controlled diet known as “Ma-Pi”. 
 
 Authorities said Pianesi convinced followers of the diet, modelled on the teachings of the Japanese philosopher George Ohsawa, that it would provide miracle cures for their illnesses and that traditional medicine did not work. It aims to avoid foods containing toxins and is based on whole grains, vegetables and beans. 
 
 Carlo Pinto, an Ancona police chief, told the Guardian that the victims were so devoted to the diet and their “teacher” that the sect managed to coerce them into giving donations and working for free in the association’s macrobiotic centres and restaurants. The diet was so destructive that the weight of one follower plunged to 35kg (77lb). 
 
 “I’ve never come across a case like it in my life,” Pinto said. “These were people suffering from physical or mental illnesses. They were convinced that the diet did them good and in return they offered to help the macrobiotic food chain, working for free and effectively sacrificing their own life.” 
 
 Pianesi, Volpi and three others are being investigated for alleged maltreatment, tax evasion and criminal organisation with the aim of reducing people to slavery. 
 
 The inquiry began in 2013 after a young woman told police Pianesi promised her that the diet would cure her illness. Pinto said there were eight victims, whose illnesses instead worsened, but he expected more to come forward. 
 
 “Pianesi would say that doctors were assassins, traditional medicine didn’t work and that only he could help,” said Pinto. 
 
 Pianesi, who along with his wife attended a mass with Pope Francis in 2016 followed by a private meeting with the pontiff, was “well respected” in Italy and “dominated” the macrobiotic industry, Pinto added. 
 
 Originally from Albania, Pianesi started his empire in Marche in 1980 and went on to cultivate a business that claimed to help cure illnesses including diabetes. 
 
 He once claimed that 26 scientific journals had endorsed the Ma-Pi diet as a tool for the prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses. He also boasted of having collaborated with UN agencies including the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). His popularity is such that he is an honorary citizen of 12 towns in Italy and across the world. 

 Italian police said on Wednesday they had smashed a “macrobiotic sect” run by a 73-year-old guru and businessman who allegedly reduced followers to slavery by rigidly controlling their diets and denying them contact with the outside world. 
 
 Fourteen people were arrested in the Marche region of central Italy and five placed formally under investigation on suspicion of running a criminal gang tied to slavery, mistreatment and tax evasion, judicial sources said. 
 
 Investigators began an inquiry in 2013 when a young girl in the town of Forli denounced to police promises by the guru that his diet could miraculously heal otherwise incurable illnesses, police said. 
 
 Those under investigation included guru Mario Pianesi, 73, his wife Loredana Volpi, 51, and two other collaborators, police said. Followers allegedly were manipulated to follow a rigidly controlled five-stage diet called “Ma.Pi.,” coined after the name of their leader. 
 
 The weight of one female follower was reduced to as little as 35kg (77lb), though she had no weight problems beforehand, police sources said. 

 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A strict macrobiotic diet tends to rely heavily on whole grains such as brown rice 
 
 Police in Italy say they have broken up a "psycho sect" that enslaved members by forcing them to adhere to a strict macrobiotic diet and cut off contact with the outside world. 
 
 Five people are under investigation over allegations including maltreatment and tax evasion. 
 
 Among the suspects is a business mogul who is accused of manipulating followers of the diet he created. 
 
 Mario Pianesi reportedly told them that Ma.Pi. would provide miracle cures. 
 
 The investigation started in 2013 after a young woman left the sect and denounced its head to police. 
 
 They found that as well as having to pay for the diet and give donations, members were coerced into working long hours with next to no pay. 
 
 Read more about modern slavery: 
 
 Mr Pianesi, a well-known macrobiotics entrepreneur in Italy, is said to have given long speeches espousing the doctrine of his diet and brainwashing followers. 
 
 The weight of one woman dropped to 35kg (77lb) as a result of adhering to his rigid regime, local media report. 
 
 Investigators said sect leaders specifically manipulated people with mental health problems, persuading them to turn away from traditional medicine. 
 
 The allegations include criminal organisation with the aim of reducing people to slavery. 
 
 The accused have not responded publicly. 
 
 What is a macrobiotic diet?
– He called doctors "assassins" and convinced sick followers to adhere to a strict macrobiotic diet, police in Italy say. But in reality, police say those who followed the teachings of 73-year-old Mario Pianesi and his 51-year-old wife were fleeced for money, manipulated into working for next to nothing for Pianesi's chain of eateries and macrobiotic centers, and often ended up sicker and frighteningly thin. The Guardian says one person's weight plummeted to 77 pounds. The Telegraph reports 14 people were arrested in the country's Le Marche region, and five (including Pianesi and his wife) are under investigation for charges including tax evasion and maltreatment, including making followers cut off contact with others. "I've never come across a case like it in my life," Ancona police chief Carlo Pinto tells the Guardian. The probe started five years ago when a young woman approached cops and said Pianesi promised the "MaPi" diet he designed—based on whole grains, veggies, and beans—could offer miracle cures for their maladies, per the BBC. An investigative report cited by the Telegraph says Pianesi was able "to obtain the trust of numerous people who were in a fragile psychological condition because of personal health or family problems," then get them onto the strict five-stage diet. Cops say he'd also cajole followers into quitting their jobs, serving as basically free labor with his "psycho sect", and donating money. Pianesi, who along with his wife met with Pope Francis in 2016, is "well respected" and "dominated" the world of macrobiotics, says Pinto. (Madonna reportedly made macrobiotic demands of her staff.)