A 26-year-old man has been taken into custody in Rajasthan for allegedly defrauding more than Rs36 lakh from 58 individuals across India through fraudulent online astrology consultations. Gurugram Police announced the arrest on August 3.
The suspect, identified as Raj Kumar from Sikar, reportedly deceived victims by advertising his services on social media and offering rituals to eliminate black magic. His arrest followed a complaint from a 37-year-old woman in Gurugram, who was swindled out of approximately Rs50,000 after being convinced that she was under the influence of black magic.
Sandeep Kumar, a public relations officer with Gurugram Police, explained that Kumar claimed he could resolve her personal and professional problems. He operated under the guise of providing genuine astrology consultations, leading the woman to file a complaint that resulted in an FIR being registered against him for cheating by personation and general cheating under the Indian Penal Code.
Kumar was apprehended after an investigation supported by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. During the arrest, police recovered a mobile phone and SIM card linked to the fraudulent activities. An analysis of the phone number revealed over 50 complaints and eight FIRs registered against him, including two in Haryana.
Authorities are now investigating how Kumar spent the significant sums of money he obtained from his victims.