Self‑styled godmen duped woman of ₹69.30 lakh with false cancer cure promise

Two self‑styled godmen were booked for cheating a 60‑year‑old woman of ₹69.30 lakh by promising a cure for her 51‑year‑old sister’s cancer through religious rituals. Chembur police named the accused as Rajshekhar Shastri and Guruji Adityanath, also known as Babu Guruji. Between June 2025 and June 2026 they collected ₹68 lakh in cash and a gold chain worth ₹1.30 lakh from the victim after she saw their advertisement. The duo claimed the sister’s illness was caused by black magic and demonstrated a trick with a lemon placed inside a steel container sealed with black thread to convince her of their powers. They then demanded payment for 48 mandal and planetary pujas, saying the rites would be performed at Kamakhya Temple in Assam and Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Uttar Pradesh. The woman paid the sum in instalments, but her sister’s condition continued to worsen. The godmen warned that earlier rituals would lose effect unless further money was paid, and later asked for additional funds and the gold chain. Realising she had been duped, the complainant approached Tilak Nagar police station, leading to a case under the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act. Police are now working to apprehend the pair. ## Context Such scams exploit belief in supernatural remedies and are prosecuted under a law aimed at curbing human sacrifice and black‑magic practices.