Kamal Ghorui
THANE: A family from Thane district, Maharashtra, was allegedly defrauded of over Rs 1.66 crore by a man who preyed on their fear of “black magic,” promising divine remedies through elaborate rituals and pilgrimages, police said on Sunday.According to officials, the Kasarvadavali police registered a first information report (FIR) on April 2 against Manjunath Shetty, a resident of Andheri in Mumbai. The family alleged that over a span of two years, Shetty manipulated them into paying large sums of money to “neutralise black magic” supposedly cast by a relative.According to the complaint, the family’s ordeal began in January 2024 when they met Shetty at an event. Learning about their financial difficulties, he convinced them that a relative had cast “black magic” to obstruct their progress.To counter it, Shetty allegedly prescribed a series of elaborate rituals and insisted on a pilgrimage to the 12 Jyotirlingas, sacred temples of Lord Shiva. Exploiting minor misfortunes in the family, he is said to have manipulated them into making multiple payments over time, officials added.Between February and April 2024, he took Rs 10 lakh in cash to purchase ritual materials, and from May 2024 to January 2026, the family transferred approximately Rs 1.56 crore through online transactions to various bank accounts belonging to the accused and his mother, he said.The accused allegedly told the family that he needed money to settle pending court cases, warning that if he were imprisoned, the rituals would remain incomplete and their problems would persist, officials said.Although no arrest has been made so far, the police have registered a case against Shetty under Section 418(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (cheating) and relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil, and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013, they added.(With agency inputs)
