Conmen make couple place ₹20L infront of deities for money doubling ritual

NAVI MUMBAI: A couple lost ₹20 lakh to tricksters promising wealth through black magic. Police arrested the accused within 18 hours and recovered most cash.

NAVI MUMBAI: A Mira Road-based advocate and his wife lost ₹20 lakh to two tricksters who allegedly promised to double their money using black magic. The incident occurred on July 22, and the police traced the two accused and arrested them within 18 hours.

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The main accused, Sachin Bharat Sharma alias Premsingh Sadhu Maharaj, 35, is a labour contractor in Karanjade hailing from Uttar Pradesh. His accomplice Jaideep Dinesh Pamecha, 25, is unemployed from Rajasthan who also resides in Karanjade. The crime detection unit of the CBD police station arrested the two from Panvel.

As per the complaint, the couple were made to check into a Belapur flat owned by an acquaintance of the accused. Sharma convinced them he had divine powers that could multiply their wealth if they participated in a sacred ritual to invoke spiritual powers by continuously chanting mantras. The couple, due to their own spiritual beliefs, were easily persuaded by this.

“The accused instructed the couple to place ₹20 lakh cash in front of the deities’ photos and lock themselves inside a bedroom where they must chant repeatedly,” said API Suresh Damre, the investigating officer. “While they were performing the ritual, the accused locked the main door from outside and fled with the cash. Once the couple realised they were conned, they began banging on the door till a neighbour rescued them.”

The police registered an FIR under Sections 318 (4) (cheating), 127 (2) (wrongful confinement) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) along with section 3 (2) (commission of acts of human sacrifice and other inhuman, evil, and aghori practices and black magic) of the Maharashtra Anti-Black Magic Act, 2013.

Technical surveillance, such as call data analysis and CCTV footage in the area, aided in the swift detection. “We worked on the theory that the crime involved more than one person. Since the cash was in hand, it was logical to assume the presence of an accomplice and a getaway vehicle,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Mayur Bhujbal. As per their calculations, investigations revealed that the second accused had arrived on a two-wheeler.

The police recovered ₹19.01 lakh in ₹500 denomination notes. The getaway vehicle was valued at ₹1 lakh, taking the total seizure value to ₹20.01 lakh. The police issued a notice to the owner of the Belapur flat based on the complaint.