9 hours ago
Fake astrologer dupes Delhi IT professional of Rs 3 lakh, arrested from Jaipur
The Delhi Police Tuesday said they arrested a self-proclaimed astrologer from Jaipur for allegedly duping a software developer of Rs 3 lakh after claiming to 'fix' her life issues.
According to the police, the fraud came to light when a 28-year-old woman, an IT professional from the Burari area of Delhi, filed a complaint on the National Cyber Reporting Platform (NCRP) portal earlier this month. 'The complainant alleged that she came to know about an astrologer through Instagram. She contacted him through his WhatsApp number and discussed the difficulties and problems in her life,' said Raja Banthia, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North).
The accused, identified as Sunit Jha, 35, allegedly suggested a couple of home remedies to the complainant. He then allegedly said he would perform some 'pujas' in Varanasi to solve her problems and charge a fee for each remedy. Jha allegedly made the victim pay Rs 3 lakh over several transactions and then cut off all contact with her, the police said.
A team led by Inspector Rohit Gahlot, Station House Officer of Cyber North, began investigating the case and traced Jha's phone and account at multiple locations in Vidhyadhar Nagar and Mansarovar in Jaipur. On June 11, they found Jha at his house in Jaipur, where he resided with his wife and children, and arrested him.
The police said interrogation revealed that Jha came from a family of professional astro-talkers, but he never thoroughly learned the trade. Instead, he allegedly relied on tricks he observed from his father and grandfather, using the performative aspects to deceive people.
'He uploaded some advertisements on his Instagram account for astrological and spiritual remedies. He said he performed some 'pooja archana' on the complainant's name in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, but there was no surety for any remedies. He further demanded more money for other remedies and removal of negative energy from her life,' said DCP Banthia.
