Mumbai, January 12: The Thane police recently arrested a self-proclaimed godman who allegedly asked a woman to procure a dead body to "cure" her family from a "black magic curse". The accused had defrauded the woman to the tune of INR 8.87 lakh. He was arrested on Saturday, January 11. The victim was identified as Nusra Akhtar Ansari (46), a resident of Thane.

In her complaint, Ansari said that her husband has not been keeping well since 2023, and she had reached out to various places for his medical treatment; however, nothing helped. In October 2023, a fraudster approached her at a shop where she was working and introduced himself as Hazrat Baba, reports HT. Ansari claimed that the so-called "Baba" convinced her that someone had cast a black magic curse on her husband and son. Thane Shocker: Man Stabs Brother to Death After Fight Over INR 500 in Maharashtra’s Kalyan, Arrested.

She also said that the fraudster offered to perform certain rituals, claiming that she would not be able to save them both without the same. Ansari further said that the "baba" performed fake rituals, including passing an egg over her husband's head and pretending to extract a nail from it. After this, he convinced her that only an elaborate ritual involving a dead body could break the curse.

For this, the accused asked Ansari to bring a corpse. However, when Ansari refused, the accused demanded INR 10 lakh. In the beginning, he victim gave him INR 6 lakh and later took loans of INR 3 lakh over time to pay him. Although the rituals were performed, there was no improvement in her husband's health. Feeling cheated, Ansari approached the police and lodged a complaint against the accused. Thane Shocker: 96-Year-Old Woman Dies by Suicide in Maharashtra.

Acting on her complaint, the police tracked down the fake "baba" and arrested him in Bhiwandi. Meanwhile, police have urged citizens to report such fraudulent activities and asked other victims of Hazrat Baba to come forward with their complaints.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2025 08:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).