Rs 3-lakh advice: Sacrifice rhino, get groom soon

Rs 3-lakh advice: Sacrifice rhino, get groom soon

4, November 2009

The Shivaji Park police were looking for a 36-year old tantrik who took nearly Rs 3 lakh from a 30-year-old woman and fooled her into believing that sacrificing a rhino would help her find a match. The accused, Farid Shah, even promised the victim to find one in UP.

The victim, Reema Kamble (name changed), daughter of a retired assistant commissioner of police, came across an advertisement in one of the Marathi newspaper promising to solve people’s problem through certain puja.

Kamble, a computer engineer, employed as manager in a city-based software company, immediately made a phone call to Shah and sought an appointment, the police said. She was asked to come to an apartment near Dadar station.

In her police complaint, Kamble said, "After listening to my problem, Shah asked me to perform a puja and sacrifice a hen or goat. Later, he told me to sacrifice a buffalo, after which, he claimed, I would start getting marriage proposals within 20 days."

After 20 days, Kamble revisited Shah when she was told to sacrifice a rhino. "Shah said that sacrificing a rhino would remove all obstacles and within a week’s time I’d get married. I paid Rs 2.95 lakh to perform the puja. He told me that he would book air tickets to go to UP to catch a Rhino and will return after completing the puja," Kamble said in the complaint.

A week later, Kamble paid another visit to Dadar but Shah was not traceable. She then lodged a complaint with the police. "Kamble even gave Shah Rs 5,500 to clear his mobile bills," said an officer of Shivaji Park police station.

Cops found that Shah was staying in a rented flat at Dadar and later fled to Nalasopara.