THANE: A 70-year-old retired woman was cheated of ₹24.60 lakh under the pretext of performing religious rituals and making donations to a ‘godman’. The Vithalwadi police have registered a case against eight accused, out of whom five were arrested on Monday.
The victim, Shakuntala Bulchand Ahuja, a retired employee of the Public Works Department (PWD), lives alone at Sai Meharwan Palace in Ulhasnagar. Police said the accused – identified as Karishma, Sahil, Goli, Usha, Yash, Lavina, Kashish, and a man known as ‘Guruji’ – exploited her loneliness and conspired to defraud her between January 2023 and November 11, 2025.
According to the police, the fraud began when one of the accused, Karishma, took ₹10 lakh from Ahuja under the pretext of buying a flat for her. When that did not happen, Ahuja demanded she return the money. However, Karishma convinced her that her money would be returned and the “obstacles” in her life removed if she made religious donations and participated in rituals conducted by a Guruji at the fake godman’s Ashram.
A hawan ritual was organised at the victim’s residence on November 11, during which the accused asked her to donate gold for the kalash and other ceremonies. Through this, they took eight tolas of gold jewellery, 10 grams of diamonds, and some cash. Later, they allegedly gave her a prasad, laced with sedatives, and said it was from the godman. Once Ahuja was unconscious, the accused fled with her 20-gram gold bangle. To date, the accused have taken many valuables, including gold, diamonds, and cash amounting to ₹24.60 lakh, from Ahuja, said an officer.
{{/usCountry}}A hawan ritual was organised at the victim’s residence on November 11, during which the accused asked her to donate gold for the kalash and other ceremonies. Through this, they took eight tolas of gold jewellery, 10 grams of diamonds, and some cash. Later, they allegedly gave her a prasad, laced with sedatives, and said it was from the godman. Once Ahuja was unconscious, the accused fled with her 20-gram gold bangle. To date, the accused have taken many valuables, including gold, diamonds, and cash amounting to ₹24.60 lakh, from Ahuja, said an officer.
{{/usCountry}}Once she regained consciousness, Ahuja realised she had been cheated and filed a complaint at the Vithalwadi Police Station. Acting on the complaint, police arrested five of the accused from Ulhasnagar Camp No. 4. The accused have been booked under Sections 123 (causing hurt by means of poison), 318(4) (cheating), 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), and 3(5) (joint criminal liability) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Investigating officer BR Darade told HT, “We have arrested five of the eight accused from Ulhasnagar Camp No. 4. They were produced before a local court, which remanded them in police custody till November 21. The investigation is ongoing to recover the money and ornaments taken by the accused. We have also launched a search operation for the absconding members of the gang.”
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