Activists demand arrest of astrologer

Activists demand arrest of astrologer

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Jan 28, 2017: DYFI activist Pramila and Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations president Narendra Nayak have urged the Police Department to arrest astrologer Lokesh, who is absconding after being released on bail.

 

Lokesh alias Ramakrishna Sharma alias Vidhya Shankar, the astrologer running Vaishnavi Jyotishya Kendra in Mangaluru, was trapped by a sting operation by Narendra Nayak and DYFI activist Pramila on January 5. Lokesh had cheated lots of people by taking lakhs of rupees from them on assurance of solving their problems by performing poojas.

A 24-year-old graduate woman, who was unemployed and had many problems in life, had gone with the hope that these could be solved by the astrologer. He had advised her to have sex with a Brahmin to have her problems solved. When she refused to do so, the astrologer molested her. By then, she had paid Rs 9,000 to him.

Another lady from a village had also been cheated by Lokesh by receiving an amount of Rs 45,000 by promising to solve her problems. A lady who was an employee of a nationalised bank had been cheated by the astrologer of Rs 1.5 lakh for getting her daughter married. Another education lady whose children are in the US, had paid Lokesh 42,000, but backed out when asked for Rs 3.5 lakh for a bigger pooja. A Catholic man belonging had paid more than Rs two lakh for scotching the love affair of his daughter with a boy who he felt was not suitable for his status.

The astrologer had not even spared the poor but cheated them by receiving thousands of rupees on the assurance of providing relief to their problems by holding some poojas.

An FIR was lodged at Pandeshwar police station. The accused was arrested and released on bail after a few days. Several victims have lodged complaints against him, including one of sexual harassment lodged at women’s police station.

The cases of sexual harassment by the astrologer surfaced after he was granted bail but now he is absconding, Narendra Nayak said. The astrologer has links with other astrologers and worked as a part of a huge racket. The Police Department should bust the entire racket and arrest all others too, he said.

He meanwhile ridiculed the call given to people by P Shrinvas Garge, who claims to be the court astrologer of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, that all should observe silence on January 27 which is Mouni Amavasya.

Samudaya organisation leader Vasudev Ucchil, DYFI activist Pramila and others were present at the press meet.