Pondicherry University PhD scholar pays Rs 6 lakh to ‘black magic experts’ for reconciling with ex-boyfriend, duped

PUDUCHERRY: A PhD scholar in Pondicherry University was duped of Rs 6 lakh by unidentified people claiming to be experts in black magic and promising to help her in reconciling with her former boyfriend by performing a few special puja.

Her former boyfriend broke up with her six months ago.

The woman spotted an Instagram account that claimed to solve issues relating to family, love and business affairs through black magic. She contacted the people operating the Instagram account and requested them to help her in winning her former boyfriend back.

The black magic account holders promised that her former boyfriend would call her over mobile phone if they performed a special puja. They asked her to pay them money for buying articles needed for the puja. They also collected her and her former boyfriend’s mobile numbers and instructed her not to attend his call. She paid the amount online.

To her surprise, she got a call from her former boyfriend's mobile on the same evening. As instructed, she did not attend the call. She then started paying money whenever the black magic account holders demanded. She paid Rs 5.84 lakh in several instalments in the last 10 days.

When she did not get any response from her former boyfriend, she attempted to contact the black magic account holders. She did not get any response. She finally realised that she had been duped. She lodged a complaint with the Puducherry cybercrime police.

Inspector (cybercrime) B C Kirtty said the online fraudsters had used a mobile application or a robot that would enable them to change their mobile phone number to a desired number while calling someone. In this case, the fraudsters, by using this application or robot, changed their number to her former boyfriend’s number while making a call to her and cheated her.