Two self-proclaimed godmen were booked for allegedly cheating a 60-year-old woman of ₹69.30 lakh by promising to cure her sister's cancer through religious rituals and special pujas, a police official said on Monday.
The Chembur police identified the accused as Rajshekhar Shastri and Guruji Adityanath alias Babu Guruji.
"They collected ₹68 lakh in cash and a gold chain worth ₹1.30 lakh from the complainant between June 2025 and June 2026. But the condition of the victim's 51-year-old sister continued to deteriorate. The woman had come in contact with them after seeing an advertisement," he said.
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The accused told the victim that her sister's house was affected by black magic and convinced her of their powers after performing a trick with a lemon placed inside a steel container sealed with black thread, the official said.
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"The duo subsequently demanded money for 48 mandal and planetary pujas, claiming these would be performed at Kamakhya Temple (Assam) and Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Uttar Pradesh). The woman paid the money in instalments. However, her sister's condition deteriorated. But the accused sought more money for further rituals, after which she gave them a gold chain," he said.
"They also warned her that the effects of the earlier rituals would become ineffective if she refused to make further payments. The complainant eventually realised she had been cheated and approached Tilak Nagar police station," he said.
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A case was registered under Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act. Efforts are on nab the duo, the official said.