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The price of seeking ‘promotion’: How a senior Income Tax officer lost Rs 31 lakh to parrot astrologer in Bengaluru
After being lured into a "special ritual" by a roadside face reader near Sri Circle, the I-T officer handed over his family's jewellery, only to be met with threats later.
The Bengaluru police have launched a search for the parrot astrologer (Image generated using AI).
A 55-year-old senior administrative officer with the Income Tax (I-T) department in Bengaluru was allegedly cheated of valuables worth over Rs 31 lakh by a roadside parrot astrologer, said the police Monday. The victim, an officer with 33 years of experience currently posted in Koramangala, allegedly fell prey to promises of career “promotion and prosperity” through divine rituals.
The fraud came to light when the victim approached the Bharathi Nagar police on March 5. He said that in December 2025, he encountered the accused, who identified himself as Shekhar, near Sri Circle.
Shekhar allegedly claimed that he could predict the future just by looking at a person’s face. The I-T officer fell for the bait. He asked Shekhar to read his horoscope. The astrologer allegedly told the officer he was going through a difficult phase in his life and recommended a special ritual costing Rs 50,000.
A week later, the I-T officer returned and paid the amount. Shekhar allegedly assured him that the ritual would be performed and promised to follow up with him afterwards.
According to the FIR, a few days later, Shekhar told the officer that the ritual was complete. However, he allegedly quickly claimed that a much more powerful ritual was necessary for career advancement, promotions, and overall prosperity. Initially, the officer declined to participate.
However, when he later returned to seek advice about a pending transfer at work, Shekhar seized the opportunity and pressed harder. This time, he allegedly asked the I-T officer to bring all the gold and silver ornaments from his home, assuring him that they would be returned after the ritual was performed.
On February 20, while his family was away, the officer allegedly collected gold ornaments weighing approximately 194 grams, which included a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet. He also allegedly took silver ornaments totalling around 1.3 kg and handed them all to Shekhar. As per the FIR, the astrologer instructed him to return the next day to collect them.
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What followed was a deliberate pattern of delay. Shekhar repeatedly claimed that the ritual was still ongoing. When the officers insisted on the return of his valuables, Shekhar allegedly stopped answering calls and threatened him and his family with severe consequences before going into hiding.
The Bharathi Nagar police registered a case under sections 316 (2) (criminal breach of trust), 318 (4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property), 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 352 (intentional insults intended to provoke a breach of peace or commit another offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and have launched a search to nab the accused.
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