Bengaluru man held for cheating woman of ₹24.78 lakh through fake pooja scam

Dakshina Kannada police have arrested a 32-year-old man from Bengaluru for allegedly cheating a woman of ₹24.78 lakh by promising to perform special poojas to solve her marriage problems.

The accused, identified as R. Vasudeva, a resident of Yeshwantapur, was arrested by the Cybercrime, Economic Offences and Narcotics (CEN) police in Puttur on November 4.

According to police, the victim, a 32-year-old bank employee from Chikkamagaluru, came across an advertisement on Instagram that promoted a priest named “Sadguru Dr. Shankaracharya” who ran a page called “Shridevisanidhya Peeta.” The account claimed to provide quick spiritual solutions for marriage-related issues.

When the woman contacted the number listed, the person on the other end introduced himself as a priest serving at the Kollur Mookambika Temple and Kerala’s Bhagawati Temple. Believing his claims, the woman told him about her family’s opposition to her love marriage. The fraudster then asked her to send money for various poojas, which he said would help resolve the issue.

Over time, she transferred ₹24.78 lakh to his account. Later, when she asked for her money back, the accused demanded an additional ₹12 lakh, claiming that the rituals were still ongoing. Realizing she had been cheated, she filed a complaint with the Puttur Cyber Crime Police Station.

Police seized ₹20,300 in cash and four mobile phones from Vasudeva. He was produced before the jurisdictional court on November 5 and has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

Officials said this case is similar to another incident reported on November 3, where a woman from Puttur was cheated of ₹2.88 lakh by a fraudster who promised to perform poojas for her mother’s health problems.

Police have urged the public to be cautious of such online advertisements and not to transfer money to unknown persons claiming to perform religious rituals.