Three men held for advising woman to perform 'aghori' rituals to cure husband's stomach ulcer

Kolhapur: Three men were arrested from Vita on Thursday evening for allegedly exerting pressure on a pregnant woman to perform “aghori” practices and suggesting human sacrifice to cure her husband’s stomach ulcer in VitaThe woman told the Sangli police that she came in touch with the trio, including the chief of a mutt and an owner of a shop selling items required for performing black magic rituals, through a family friend in 2024. The three men performed various rituals from then till Sept 2025, and even suggested her human sacrifice to cure her husband — a govt-registered contractor. They also advised her to undergo an abortion, claiming that she was carrying a girl. Vita court remanded them in police custody till May 25.The police said the complainant and her family performed rituals, but refused to follow the advice of abortion or human sacrifice. They had not been in touch with the three men since Sept 2025. She registered a police complaint on Thursday morning after members of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS) appealed to victims to expose the mutt chief, who allegedly robbed people of wealth and mental peace.Inspector Dhananjay Phadtare of Vita police station said, “We have arrested three people — Mahesh Babar, Sanket Nikam and Suraj Upadhay. Babar runs a mutt in Vita town and Upadhyay sells items for aghori rituals to him. Nikam from Ghogao village of Palus tehsil also performs rituals. He claims that he gets possessed by gods and suggests solutions to people’s problems. We have their videos performing rituals and other evidence. Prima facie there is truth in the claims of the woman complainant.”The police said Nikam used to beat up the husband of the complainant with sticks on Durgashtami and Kalashtami days to bring the “possessed ghost” out his body, which he claimed was hurting the latter.The police have invoked Section 3 of Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013. It criminalises human sacrifice, black magic and exploitation under the guise of supernatural powers. It also prescribes prison terms ranging from six months to seven years and fines from Rs5,000 to Rs50,000. Sections 118 (1) [voluntarily causing injury] and 3(5) [common intention] of the BNS were also invoked against the trio.According to a MANS activist, the woman was cheated for Rs8.5 lakh for performing rituals, but the woman just stated in the complaint that Nikam took Rs6,000 after a bone ritual. The trio allegedly advised her to change her house, claiming that several pregnant women died there during the British era. She ended up changing the house.MANS activist Vivek Bhingardive from Vita said, “Babar started the mutt two years ago. Black magic rituals were performed there regularly. People facing hardships visited him. Many of them felt cheated but none came forward to report and those who came had no proof. Now, the police have enough evidence showing the indulgence of the three in aghori practices. We will press for charges of cheating because many people claimed that they paid for rituals in cash but had no documentary proof.”