Mumbai: Astrologer, 5 others booked for cheating woman; anti-superstition Act invoked

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A 57-year-old astrologer filed a case at the Borivali police station, alleging that she was cheated out of Rs 52 lakh by a self-proclaimed saint and astrologer, along with his five accomplices.

According to police sources, the astrologer, residing in the Shimpoli area of Borivali West, was threatened by the self-proclaimed saint. The saint claimed that her son would face a tragic death and his business would fail if she did not pay him. Out of fear, she handed over Rs 52 lakh along with her gold jewelry to protect her son over the last six years.

According to the statement given to the police, the astrologer attended an astrology course at Borivali College in 2014, where she met Subhash Brida. In 2019, while traveling for a further course in Nasik (Igatpuri), Brida introduced her to Vijay Joshi, claiming him to be a renowned astrologer capable of predicting a child's future before and after birth, as well as resolving personal or financial issues. She was instructed to attend Joshi's prayer sessions at a temple in Borivali.

There, she met a group of individuals identified as Nilesh Mane, Rachna Dalvi, Kishore Tawde, Ruchita Chavan, and Prathamesh Mayekar in 2021.

Joshi, who had established an astrology consultancy in Mira Road, requested the victim to write content for him and persuaded her to invest in a hotel business in Navi Mumbai for his son to become a partner. Joshi assured her that he was also investing in this venture and claimed that a Hyderabad-based businessman was the primary investor. Believing Joshi's pretext, she agreed and invested Rs 2.5 lakh as the first installment.

In 2023, Joshi informed the victim that the Hyderabad-based businessman demanded his money back due to losses and threatened to commit suicide, leaving a note behind naming the complainant and her son.

Joshi continued providing excuses about her son's tragic fate and business losses until he eventually extorted Rs 52 lakh from her, including her jewelry.

Upon realising the fraud, she approached the Borivali police station and registered the case. An officer said, "We have registered the case under sections 420 and 34 of the IPC, along with sections 2 (1), 3 (2), and 5 of The Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil, and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013."