The CEN police in Haveri arrested three individuals, including Ramesh Shatri and Gopal Shatri from Devaragudi village in Raichur district, on charges of defrauding a pharmacist by posing as astrologers. A minor suspect remains unnamed, while another suspect, Guru Shatri, is still absconding.
The accused duped a 23-year-old pharmacist working at a private hospital in Haveri of gold ornaments worth Rs 15 lakh through a sophisticated cyber fraud scheme. The victim was lured via an Instagram ad for the Astrotalk app offering astrological services. She connected with the suspects through the app and later received spiritual items like a ‘yantra’ and kumkuma.
Claiming issues in her kundali that could cause serious troubles, the accused convinced the pharmacist to perform a special puja at their Mysuru ashram. They demanded her gold ornaments for the ritual, which they later collected from Haveri.
Police recovered 227 grams of gold valued at Rs 21 lakh from the accused, as confirmed by CPI SR Ganachari of CEN police station. A case has been registered and the investigation is ongoing.
