“Godman” booked for duping man of Rs3.80 lakh

PUNE A 36-year-old man has been booked under Anti Black Magic Act and for cheating the family of an ailing IT professional in Kondhwa by posing as a self-proclaimed “godman” and promising cure through magical pigeons

PUNE A 36-year-old man has been booked under Anti Black Magic Act and for cheating the family of an ailing IT professional in Kondhwa by posing as a self-proclaimed “godman” and promising cure through magical pigeons.

HT Image

The accused has been identified as Kutubuddin Najmi (36), a resident of Mithanagar in Kondhwa-Khurd, according to the police.

The complaint in the matter was lodged by Abizar Juzar Fatehpurwala (36), a resident of Sanlunkhe Vihar while the ailing man has been identified as his brother Huzefa Fatehpurwala (38).

The ailing man had been visiting multiple doctors after having suffered for the past several months, according to the complaint in the matter lodged by his brother.

On November 25, 2020, the office in Fakri Hills, Huzefa’s mother met a man named Shaikh Hakimuddin Raj Malegaonwala who asked for her number and promised to introduce her to a godman who would cure her son of his ailment.

The godman, Najmi, came to their house that evening and asked Huzefa’s father to come to a house in Mithanagar. As his father, mother, and the ailing brother went to the specified house in Mithanagar, Najmi told them that Huzefa’s estranged wife, who had been living away from him since 2017, had performed black magic on him. The family members believed him as Najmi produced details about the woman that were not revealed to him by the family. He also told them that two other members of the family could be under the influence of her black magic.

Over the next few weeks, the man promised them a miracle treatment with the help of four magical pigeons which will be sourced from Mumbai at the cost of ₹6,80,000. The family paid a sum and later suspected the man’s promises to be fake. When they asked for their money back, Najmi paid ₹3,00,000, but failed to return the remaining amount.

“This case was registered yesterday (Tuesday). The man scared the family that the ailing man could even die. He promised wrongfully to the family that the pigeons would save his life,” said Milind Deshmukh of Andhashradha Nirmoolan Samiti which helped the family lodge a complaint.

A case under Sections 386, 420, 506, and 34 of Indian Penal Code along with Section 3(2) of Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013 was registered at Kondhwa police station.

Police sub-inspector PU Kapure of Kondhwa police station is investigating the case.