A 26-year-old man named Raj Kumar from Sikar, Rajasthan, was arrested by Gurugram Police for allegedly duping over Rs36 lakh from at least 58 victims across India through fake online astrology consultations and black magic rituals. The arrest took place on August 3, following an investigation aided by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.
The investigation revealed that Kumar had been operating using the same deceptive tactics for the past seven to eight months, primarily through social media advertisements. His downfall came after he reportedly cheated a 37-year-old woman in Gurugram out of Rs50,000, promising to resolve her personal and professional issues by claiming she was affected by black magic.
Sandeep Kumar, the public relations officer for Gurugram police, explained that Kumar established a presence on social media, providing a contact number for astrology consultations. After the woman filed a complaint, an FIR was registered against him under sections 419 (cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code at the Cybercrime Police Station (West) in July.
Following this lead, police tracked Kumar to Sikar, where he was arrested. Officers recovered a mobile phone and SIM card linked to his fraudulent activities. Investigators found that the phone number had generated over 50 complaints against him across the country, resulting in eight FIRs, including two in Haryana, one of which was in Gurugram.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine how Kumar spent the substantial amount of money he allegedly defrauded from his victims.