Three held under anti-black magic law for duping Bhiwandi tea shop owner of ₹4.5 lakh

Three people have been arrested in Bhiwandi, India for duping a tea shop owner of ₹4.5 lakh by promising to cure his wife's diabetes and high blood pressure through a superstitious act.

The Bhiwandi City Police have arrested three people for allegedly duping a 60-year-old tea shop owner of ₹4.5 lakh by promising that his wife would be cured of diabetes and high blood pressure after performing a superstitious act, the police said.

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The police said that the arrested accused have been identified as Viki Ashok Rathod, 21, and Roshan Ashok Rathod, two brothers who live in Khadvli village in Bhiwandi Taluka, and Karan Somdutt Gosavi, 29, who runs a medicalshop in Kamatghar and lives in Shantinagar area in Bhiwandi. They were all arrested on Friday from their homes.

The complaint was filed by Satyanarayan Lakhpati, who runs a tea stall in Kamatghar area and his wife is diabetes patient and high blood pressure. The incident took place in the Kamatghar area between December 1 and January 2.

Police sources said that accused Viki Rathod visited Lakhpati’s tea shop on December 1, and told him during casual conversation that he had ayurvedic medicine which completely cures diabetes and high BP and left his visiting card if anyone needed the medicine.

On December 3, Lakhpati called his mobile phone and ordered medicines suggested by Viki worth ₹8,000. After consuming the medicine, Lakhpati saw that his wife’s condition improved and he believed in Rathod’s ayurvedic medicine.

On December 12, the second accused Roshan Rathod came to the tea shop and told Lakhpati if he was VIki Rathod’s Guru and if he wanted to put an end to repeated medicines, he could suggest a permanent cure, but he would need to his visit his home once. Rathod then went to his house and told him that there was a hidden treasure (gupta dhan) buried in his house that was causing distress to his wife.

On December 22, Roshan asked him to go to the medical of Gosavi and buy particular medicinal articles like bhasma also used in puja ceremony. He then performed a puja and told him that if he didn’t purchase the medicinal articles urgently, his wife could die.

Police sources said that he then dug up a small portion of the floor and pulled out a brass pot and showed that it contained the gold ornaments and money which caused the distress to his wife.

He convinced Lakhpati and his family that the pot needs to be purified first before the secret valuables are removed and instructed no one to touch the pot. On December 26, Roshan returned to the house and asked Lakhpati to buy medicines worth ₹2 lakh from Gosavi’s medical shop to purify the brass pot and if he did not do so, his wife would succumb the diseases. Thereafter, Lakhpati arranged the money and brought the medicine from Gosavi’s shop.

In addition to the ₹2 lakh, Lakhpati had made part payments to the tune of ₹2.5 lakh borrowing money from friends and relatives. On January 2, when Rathod returned and demanded ₹2 lakh for more medicines, he did not pay but got suspicious.

Realising that he has been cheated he approached the police station.

A case was lodged under section 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and the relevant sections of The Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.