Mumbai Crime: Maid, her tantrik aide loot senior citizen of over Rs 15 lakh

The accused Priya Keluskar after arrest. Pic/Navneet Barhate

The Manpada police arrested a woman on Thursday for cheating her employer of Rs 15.87 lakh on the pretext of ridding his house of a bad spirit. They are looking for her accomplice, a tantrik.

Vasant Gangaram Samarth stays in a high profile society in Dombivli East. The 79-year-old's wife died a couple of years ago and their son stays in Canada. Samarth had hired Priya alias Trishala to do the household work.

"In July 2022, Priya told Samarth his house was possessed by a bad spirit and he would be killed by it soon. Scared, Samarth asked her what to do to get rid of the spirit. Priya told him she knew a woman tantrik who could help," said an officer from Manpada police station.

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Priya called her friend Mariyam alias Sehnah Sheikh, who performed some ritual at Samarth's home. Priya often told Samarth about the spirit and took money from him to invite Mariyam on several occasions between July and September 13. But Samarth realised that the demands were never-ending.

He approached the Manpada police and told them about the happenings. Senior Inspector Shekhar Bagade directed the cops to register an offence under s420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.

The police then arrested Priya alias Trishala Kunal Keluskar, 26, from her residence at Khoni village, Dombivli. They also seized valuables and cash worth Rs 15.58 lakh from her house.

"The women were cheating the man by scaring him with a bad spirit which would kill him and took many ornaments and a lot of money from him to get rid of it. He got suspicious and informed us. We are searching for the other accused. Once we arrest the tantrik, we will find if she has cheated others like this," said SI Bagade.