A shocking case of cyber fraud has come to light in the Santacruz area, where a young woman was duped of ₹3.5 lakh by an unidentified cyber fraudster. The fraudster allegedly convinced her that her boyfriend was under the influence of black magic and assured her that he could remove the spell through special rituals. Believing the scammer’s claims, the woman transferred the money online. The Vakola police have registered a case under cyber fraud and IT Act provisions and launched an investigation to track down the accused.
The 32-year-old complainant lives with her family in Santacruz. In October last year, she met a man named Rishikesh, a native of Uttar Pradesh currently residing in Thane. Their friendship soon turned into a romantic relationship. However, she started suspecting that Rishikesh was involved with another woman when she noticed frequent phone calls that he avoided answering.
During this period, she came across an online advertisement on social media claiming to help people with relationship problems. Curious, she contacted the number mentioned in the ad. The fraudster, posing as a tantrik (occult practitioner), listened to her concerns and convinced her that another woman had cast black magic on Rishikesh, which was causing problems in their relationship.
The fraudster assured her that he could remove the black magic by performing a special ritual involving burning candles and other occult practices. He then demanded an initial online payment for the ritual. Believing his words, she transferred some money. Soon after, he started making further demands under various pretexts, convincing her that the rituals were ongoing. Over a series of 53 transactions, she ended up transferring ₹3.47 lakh.
However, despite the payments, she noticed no change in Rishikesh's behavior or their relationship. When she confronted the fraudster, he insisted that the process was still underway and even suggested that she visit Rajasthan for a special ceremony. She refused and instead asked him to come to Mumbai, but he never turned up.
Realizing that she had been duped, the woman approached Vakola Police and lodged a complaint. After verifying the details, the police registered a case of fraud under relevant sections of the IT Act. Investigators are now tracking the accused through mobile call records and other digital traces.
Police have urged citizens to be cautious of such fraudulent schemes and avoid making online payments to unverified individuals claiming to have supernatural powers.