'Beasts' serve 'The Doctor': Inside elderly man's sordid sex cult

Topless women appeared in videos found by police. Photo / Novara Police

A sordid sex cult masterminded by a 77-year-old man known as The Doctor has been busted by Italian police, revealing an intricate system of indoctrination and violence that left members entirely dependent on their twisted leader.

The group, based in the northern Italian town of Novara, was raided by police on Sunday (Italian time) on suspicion of slavery and sex abuse, including the abuse of young girls, the Daily Mail reported.

Police allege the unnamed cult leader used small businesses such as craft shops and dance schools to attract wealthy women into his vile web, subjecting them to "unbearable violence and abuse of all kinds" to cement their place in the group.

Officials investigating the depraved sect found that it was structured like a pyramid, with the leader surrounded by female psychologists who used their training to indoctrinate new members.

Police raids finally shut the group down. Photo / Novara Police

Anyone who displayed scepticism about the group would find themselves at the bottom of the pyramid.

The Il Messaggero newspaper reports that women in the referred to each other as "beasts" and were not allowed to know or speak the leader's name.

Cult members were forced to cut all links to family or recruit them as well and then forced to work.

The Doctor would give some women houses to secure their dependence and would dictate cult members' movements and who they communicated with.

Celtic mysticism formed the backbone of the group's ritual, the Daily Mail reported, with police saying their "magical practices" involved "fairy places".

Topless women appeared in videos found by police. Photo / Novara Police

Women were told that the torture they were subjected to would "light their inner fire" and allow them to access a "fantastic and secret world".

Video released by police shows topless women dancing in one group ritual.

Shockingly, the group has been active for 30 years, police revealed.

Large membership fees charged by The Doctor provided the financial support for the group, which was only toppled when a former member went to police.

Police are yet to announce any arrests, or reveal the true size of the cult.