Man arrested for cheating youth of Rs 4 lakh in Barwani

Barwani: Barwani Kotwali police on Saturday arrested a 31-year-old man for allegedly cheating a local youth of nearly Rs 4 lakh by posing as an occultist and luring him with promises of wealth through black magic.Kotwali in-charge BS Bisen said that the accused, Mohammad Asif, a resident of Chanchal Chowk area of Barwani, was arrested and produced before the court, which granted police remand for a day.He said that the complainant, Ravi Bamaniya, met the accused on June 15, 2025, after which they began living together. The accused claimed he could perform rituals to make money rain inside the victim's house, citing religious figures from Delhi, to gain trust. Between Oct 21, 2025, and Jan 15, 2026, the victim allegedly paid Rs 2.82 lakh in cash and Rs 1.18 lakh through digital transactions, amounting to nearly Rs 4 lakh, he said.The accused also instructed the victim to keep certain wrapped items in his house and later dispose them in the Narmada river, along with burning papers allegedly brought from Delhi. The complaint stated that Asif later pressured him to convert to Islam and threatened to kill his mother when he refused. He also allegedly abused and intimidated the complainant when asked to return the money.Based on the complaint, Barwani police registered a case under relevant sections of cheating, criminal intimidation, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act.