Fake godman posing as beggar cheats Gangalwadi woman of Rs 98,000 in Brahmapuri taluka
A man who came begging to Gangalwadi village took cash and gold from a woman in the name of rituals and medicines, and Brahmapuri police have registered a case.
A fraud by a self-styled godman has caused alarm in Brahmapuri taluka. A woman from Gangalwadi has been cheated of a total of Rs 98,000 in the name of rituals and medicines. According to the complaint, she was frightened with talk of a serious illness afflicting her husband and a calamity looming over the house. A man who came disguised as a beggar took cash and gold jewellery in the name of a ritual.
A case has been registered against unidentified persons at Brahmapuri police station. Sub-inspector Revansiddh Kadam is investigating further.
The complaint was filed by Sandhya Manohar Mashakhetri (35), a resident of Gangalwadi. She said two unknown men came begging to her village at around 11:30 am on September 19, 2026. One of them wore a white shirt, a black lungi and a red cloth on his head. He carried a peacock-feather broom and a book.
When he asked for alms, Mashakhetri gave him Rs 10. He then asked about the members of the household. After learning about the family, he said, "There is a curse on your house, a ritual will have to be performed." He then staged various religious rites. He asked her to place a thread under her husband's pillow, performed a blessing ritual with the peacock feather, and told her to mix ash in water and sprinkle it. According to the complaint, he took Rs 8,000 on the spot in the name of the ritual.
The complaint further says that the same night the accused phoned the woman from the number 9850576037. He frightened her by saying that her house was afflicted by "marekhat" and that medicine would have to be bought for it. He also gave her the address of the "Dhanvantari Ayurvedic" shop in Brahmapuri and the contact number of its owner, 9158454554.
When the woman contacted the shopkeeper, he said the medicine was expensive and asked her to bring Rs 20,000. She then went to the shop on September 20 and bought medicines worth Rs 15,115. On September 27, at the accused's instruction, she bought medicines worth a further Rs 23,000 from the same shop.
The accused then phoned repeatedly, demanding gold jewellery and cash for a ritual to remove the calamity from the house. At about 11:30 am on October 1, 2026, he called the woman to a spot near the water tank in Talodhi. The man, who arrived on a motorcycle, took Rs 30,000 in cash and 12 grams of gold jewellery from her. This included one ring of 6 grams, another ring of 3 grams and a "birya" of 3 grams. He said he would perform a puja at a dargah and return all the items and money in the evening, but fled with the jewellery and cash.
On realising she had been cheated, Mashakhetri went to Brahmapuri police station on October 3, 2026 and narrated the incident. On her complaint, police registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. According to the complaint, she lost Rs 38,000 in cash and 12 grams of gold worth Rs 60,000, a total of Rs 98,000. Sub-inspector Revansiddh Shahaji Kadam is investigating further.
