Tantrik dupes woman of Rs70,000, held

Stating that an evil spirit was the reason behind her poor health, self-confessed tantrik Shamim Shafi Ahmed Ansari, 22, allegedly duped a woman of `70,000. The Kurla police arrested Ansari on Sunday.

Stating that an evil spirit was the reason behind her poor health, self-confessed tantrik Shamim Shafi Ahmed Ansari, 22, allegedly duped a woman of `70,000. The Kurla police arrested Ansari on Sunday.

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Said senior inspector Laxman Bhalerao from Kurla police station: “Ansari told 27-year-old Nazia Lala that he is capable of exorcising the evil spirit by his supernatural powers.”

Nazia, a mother of three, went missing on December 13. In the missing complaint filed by her husband Afzal Lala, he had stated that Nazia went to her brother Anwar’s house at Mumbra on December 13 after which she did not return to her Kurla residence. She returned home only three weeks later, on January 4.

In her statement to the Kurla police, Nazia said, “We went on a picnic to Water Kingdom in Borivli on December 6. I met Ansari there. Claiming that he possessed supernatural powers, Ansari said that he could cure me of my poor health. He demanded `70,000 from me, which I paid in three installments.”

An officer from Kurla police station said, “Ansari claims that he was having an affair with Nazia. However since he is an accused, he may be saying so to defend himself. We will be interrogating him further.” When contacted by Hindustan Times, the family members of the victim refused to talk to the media.