‘He was my saviour': Astrologer confronted over $67k claim
Govindu Shastri, who claims to perform cosmic miracles for those struggling with everything from business, court and sexual problems to voodoo and black magic, told a Queensland father his services were the only thing that could save his children, to the tune of $67,000.
'He closed his eyes basically and then he said that 'I can see your aura right now and it's been covered by dark forces and there's an indication of black magic being performed on your family',' the man told A Current Affair on Monday night.
'I tried to save my family. I was so convinced there was no way out.'
Before meeting Govindu, the man and his wife had sought help from a psychologist and psychiatrist to help one of their children, who was struggling with poor mental health.
'Nothing was working, and then I thought, try (an) alternative cure,' the man said.
He booked an appointment with Govindu, who told him during their first meeting that a 'black magic' was growing among his family and had 'real potential to disrupt and destroy' them.
The first ritual Govindu performed involved him saying 'nine days of special prayers', for which he charged the man $2000.
'And he said that you have to pay another $14,000 because (the black magic) has moved onto your child now and that's more serious,' the man, who has not told his family about the money he has lost, claimed.
Govindu then said he needed to perform a third ritual – this one even more bizarre.
'He asked me to bring a jar and he asked me to breathe into the jar, basically, and he started chanting things, and the ball of flame just evolved from there, from the jar, big thick ball of flame,' the man recalled.
'And he (Govindu) said, 'I got it, I got it!'. He held the thing. Then he said that, 'This is alive now and if this one escapes, that's going to go after your child'.'
The man claimed Govindu told him he 'needed a dead person's body (of) similar size to (his) child to perform the next ritual', which would cost $50,000.
'So he told you he needed a dead person's body similar size to your child to perform the next ritual?' A Current Affair asked.
'Yes,' the man confirmed.
After he gave Govindu the money, however, he said he was ghosted by him and the ritual was never performed.
Asked why he didn't notice any 'red flags' in Govindu's behaviour, the man said it was because he 'was so convincing'.
'My personal condition was so overrun with my family situation,' he added.
'He was just my saviour.'
When confronted by A Current Affair at a Brisbane petrol station, Govindu denied knowing what an astrologist was – or that he was one at all.
'I'm not an astrologist, sorry for that. I don't know who that is,' he said.
Presented with advertisements from his Facebook page, Govindu said: 'I think you are coming for the wrong person.'
In a statement to news.com.au, he said: 'I have not done any scam, not even $1 scam. I feel to leave my life, and end my life here (in Australia). I am getting calls from my back home county. I have 2 kids and my wife here.
'We had a good positive life from the day. But now it has destroyed (my) entire life.'
An Office of Fair Trading spokesperson said that it does not regulate spiritual or astrological services specifically, but urged consumers to 'exercise caution when engaging with individuals or businesses offering services that involve unverifiable claims or require large financial commitments'.
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