Kolkata woman alleges ‘Tantrik’ duped her of lakhs of rupees on promise to solve marital issues

Kolkata: A Kolkata woman has lodged a police complaint against a self-styled tantrik, accusing him of extorting Rs 7.66 lakh from her on the false promise of resolving her marital and health-related problems through occult practices and special rituals, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place recently in the Watganj area in Kolkata but came to light after a complaint was lodged, police added.

According to police, the accused came in contact with the woman through Facebook. Believing his claims that he could improve her relationship with her husband, address health concerns, and ward off future dangers through tantric rituals, the woman reached out to him using a phone number listed on his social media profile.

The accused allegedly demanded an initial payment of Rs 8,750 along with the woman's photograph and date of birth. Thereafter, he repeatedly sought additional payments under the pretext of conducting pujas and other rituals.

Police said the woman eventually grew suspicious and refused to make further payments. Following this, the accused allegedly threatened her with dire consequences and even death if she disclosed the matter to anyone. Out of fear and mental distress, she reportedly transferred a total of Rs 7,66,345 to multiple bank accounts and UPI IDs of the tantrik in several instalments.

As the threats allegedly continued despite the payments, the woman approached the Watganj Police Station and filed a complaint. Investigators have launched a probe using the accused's mobile number, bank account details, UPI IDs and Facebook profile.

Police have withheld the identity of the accused as well as of the victim as the investigation is underway. "Investigation is on to track the tantrik who is alleged to have extorted money from the complainant. The matter is being looked into," a senior Kolkata Police officer said.

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