After falling for a phony astrologer she contacted on Instagram, a 24-year-old Bangalore lady lost almost Rs 6 Lakh In reality, the woman was looking for marital guidance. Under the guise of puja-paath and astrological rites, the fraudulent astrologer deceived her. The police have currently filed a case and are conducting an investigation.
The Instagram profile looked like this.
The victim, Priya (name changed), works for a private company and lives in Electronics City. Priya complained to the police about being tricked. She discovered an Instagram account called “splno1indianastrologer” on January 5 that claimed to be an astrologer and included an image of an Aghori baba. When Priya messaged the account to inquire about her future, a man posing as Vijay Kumar got in touch with her.
The first payment was small.
Kumar informed Priya that they will have a love marriage after exchanging her name and birthdate over WhatsApp, but her kundali revealed certain astrological issues. Then, in exchange for payment, Kumar offered to perform a specific pooja to solve these issues. The initial payment was 1,820 rupees. Even though it did not seem like much, Priya accepted right away and used a digital payment app to transfer the money.
But this was just the start of a string of requests. As time went on, Kumar continued to inform Priya that additional pujas were essential to her health and eventual marriage. He insisted on receiving more money each time. Priya had paid the scammer almost Rs 6 lakh by the time she realised she had been scammed.
The police are investigating into
It was only at that point that Priya realized she had been duped by a large swindle. She then got in touch with the police. No actual astrologer or counsel is engaged in this case, which appears to be the work of cybercriminals, according to a senior police officer. In accordance with Section 318 of the Indian Penal Code, which addresses fraud, and the Information Technology Act, Electronics City Police has filed a case. Although no one has been arrested yet, the authorities are still looking into the situation.
Users should exercise caution when dealing with such situations. Before engaging with a stranger on Instagram, one should consider their options and never give money.