A male follower of the Aum Shinrikyo cult has died after apparently engaging in "hot bath training" in Tokyo, police said Sunday.
An Aum member at a cult facility in Adachi Ward called police at around midnight Saturday and said a follower had been found dead in a bathtub.
Police officers responding to the report found a deceased man in a bathtub with no signs of external wounds.
While the cause of death has not been determined, the cult, which now calls itself Aleph, said he may have died accidentally during training in which followers endure an extremely hot bath over a long period, police officials said.
Top leaders of Aum Shinrikyo, including founder Shoko Asahara, have been convicted for a series of heinous crimes from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.
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