A fraudster posing as an occult practitioner allegedly decamped with gold jewellery worth nearly ₹10 lakh after gaining the trust of a woman on the pretext of performing rituals to ward off black magic at her residence in the Vile Parle area of Mumbai. The Vile Parle police have registered a case of cheating against the accused, identified as Ramchandra Sutar, and launched a probe.
The complainant, Sushma Kalelkar, originally a resident of Gujarat, has been living on rent in Vile Parle for the past two years with her husband and son. She works as a consultant, while her husband runs a plastic pouch business. In June 2025, Kalelkar had travelled with a friend to Assam to visit the Kamakhya Devi temple. Due to heavy crowds, she decided to return to her hotel, where she first met the accused.
Sutar allegedly offered to arrange quick darshan in exchange for ₹2,000. After she paid the amount, she was able to have an expedited darshan. During their interaction, the accused made several predictions about her family, which she found to be accurate. He later claimed that black magic had been performed on her family and assured her that he could resolve all her problems through special rituals.
In August, Kalelkar contacted him regarding items required for the puja. The accused informed her that he would visit Mumbai and perform the ritual at her home. On October 22, he visited her residence, conducted a puja using coconuts and collected ₹1,100 as fees. He returned again after four days.
During his second visit, Sutar advised Kalelkar to place all her gold jewellery in a steel container, claiming it would improve the fortunes of her and her family. He instructed her not to open the container and chanted mantras before taking it away, warning her against checking its contents.
On December 6, when Kalelkar needed the jewellery to attend a relative’s wedding, she contacted the accused. He promised to visit her home but failed to turn up. Suspecting foul play, she opened the steel container and discovered that the gold jewellery was missing. Repeated attempts to contact the accused proved futile.
Realising that she had been cheated, Kalelkar approached the Vile Parle police and lodged a complaint. After verifying the allegations, the police registered a cheating case against Ramchandra Sutar and initiated further investigation. Police sources said the accused may have committed similar offences by exploiting people’s beliefs in occult practices, and efforts are underway to trace and apprehend him.