Astrologer dupes vastu consultant of Rs 52L, 230 gm gold on pretext of resolving kundali dosha

A common friend introduced Joshi to the complainant as an astrology expert with rare knowledge and ability to read people’s mind, predict their future and read their past. He could also resolve infertility issues and other family and personal problems, states the FIR.

Later, Joshi met the complainant woman on multiple occasions. He also visited her place and asked her to convince her son to partner with Joshi and others in a hotel business. Her son agreed and invested money in the hotel business.

As per the police, Joshi allegedly took cash from the complainant’s family for over five years claiming that their son’s kundali is full of doshas (problems) and he will not do well in business and would die a painful death. After winning their trust, Joshi allegedly took money from the complainant on various occasions under one or another pretext.

However, one day the complainant’s son exposed Joshi’s lie in front of everyone and also brought along a Delhi woman who was a victim of the astrologer’s machinations. She told the complainant’s family how Joshi had duped many people in Delhi on the pretext of solving their problems based on janam-kundali, the police said.

After the victim’s family realised the deception, they demanded their money and gold ornaments back. Joshi however tried to scare the family saying that soon two people in their family may die and his ‘149 brothers would beat her husband’. When the family discovered that the accused had mortgaged their gold ornaments to take loans, they decided to lodge a police complaint.

The police, along with booking Joshi, have also booked Joshi’s alleged associates Rachna Dalvi, Nilesh Mane, Prathmesh Mayekar, Kishor Tawde and Ruchita Chavan, under under sections 420, 406, 34 of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.