Fake Astrologer Arrested: How He Duped an Income Tax Officer in Bengaluru

A fake 'parrot astrologer' has been arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly defrauding an Income Tax official by promising career advancement through deceptive rituals, highlighting the dangers of fraudulent spiritual practices.

Key Points

A 59-year-old man posing as a 'parrot astrologer' was arrested for allegedly defrauding an Income Tax official in Bengaluru.
The accused convinced the victim to perform rituals promising career growth and a better life, initially collecting Rs 50,000.
The astrologer allegedly took gold ornaments and silver articles from the complainant, promising to return them after the ritual, but later threatened him.
Police recovered gold ornaments and silver articles worth Rs 20.60 lakh from a jewellery shop based on the accused's information.
The accused confessed to the crime, stating his intention was to make quick money through fraudulent means.

A 59-year-old man was arrested for allegedly duping an Income Tax department official by posing as a "parrot astrologer" and promising career growth and better life through rituals, police said on Wednesday.

With the arrest of the accused astrologer Shekar, police claimed to have recovered gold ornaments weighing 124 grams and silver articles weighing 796 grams, with a total value of Rs 20.60 lakh.

The matter came to light after the victim, who is a senior administrative officer in the Income Tax department, lodged a complaint at Bharatinagar police station here on March 5, police said.

According to police, in the complaint, the victim stated that while passing near Sri Circle, he was approached by a person claiming to practise parrot astrology. The accused called him over, claimed he could predict the future by looking at his face, and convinced him to perform a ritual.

Initially, the accused collected Rs 50,000 from the complainant. Later, he allegedly told the victim that an elaborate ritual was necessary for career promotion, transfer, and overall improvement in life, and threatened that failure to do so would bring misfortune, he alleged.

"Under this pretext, the accused took 194 grams of gold ornaments and 1.3 kg of silver articles from the complainant, assuring they would be returned after the ritual," police said.

When the complainant later demanded the return of the valuables, the accused allegedly threatened him, they said.

Arrest and Investigation

During the investigation, police gathered credible information and apprehended the accused near Cantonment Railway Station on March 12 and upon interrogation, he confessed to committing the offence with the intention of making quick money, a senior police officer said.

He was produced before a court on March 13 and taken into police custody for five days.

During sustained questioning, the accused revealed that he had sold the stolen gold and silver items at a jewellery shop in Halasuru. Based on his information, police recovered 124 grams of gold ornaments and 796 grams of silver articles from the shop on March 15, valued at Rs 20.60 lakh, the officer said.

The accused was again produced before the court on March 17 and was remanded to judicial custody, he added.

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