A major Gwalior Instagram astrologer fraud case has come to light after police arrested a man accused of cheating a college student by posing as an astrologer on social media. The accused allegedly used fake religious rituals and astrology claims to lure victims and extort money and jewellery. The accused was caught in a planned operation organised by the victim’s family with assistance from local police.

Student Allegedly Targeted

According to police, the victim is a BSc first-year student from Gwalior’s Madhuban Colony area under Murar police station limits. The student reportedly came across an Instagram page operated under the name “Astrologer Shubham Pathan” in January 2026. After contacting the account, she was allegedly told that her horoscope contained serious defects affecting her future.

Job and Marriage Promises

Police said the accused promised the student that special rituals could help her secure a good job and a suitable marriage proposal. Investigators stated that the accused gradually gained the victim’s trust and convinced her to participate in so-called tantric rituals for solving personal and career-related problems.

Jewellery Taken by Accused

According to the complaint, the accused initially demanded money from the student and later asked for gold ornaments after she said she did not have enough cash. Police said the accused travelled from Haridwar to Gwalior and allegedly collected ₹10,000 through online transfer along with gold bangles, chain, earrings, and other jewellery items from the student before disappearing. Soon after receiving the valuables, the accused allegedly blocked the student’s contact number.

Family Learns About Fraud

The incident came to light after family members noticed jewellery missing from the house. During questioning, the student reportedly narrated the entire incident to her aunt Vaishali Goyal. The family then decided to trap the accused with the help of police.

Trap Planned by Relative

According to officials, the victim’s aunt contacted the accused again using the student’s Instagram account. She allegedly told him that although a job had been secured through his “blessings,” serious family disputes had now started at home. The accused reportedly demanded more money for another ritual, after which the woman informed him that she could instead offer gold jewellery.

Accused Returns to Gwalior

Lured by the offer, the accused agreed to visit Gwalior again from Haridwar. A meeting point was fixed near Murar vegetable market, the same location where the student had allegedly handed over jewellery earlier. Before the meeting, the woman informed Murar police and her relatives about the plan.

Arrested Red-Handed

Police said the accused arrived at the spot in a WagonR car along with two associates on the evening of May 15. As soon as the accused accepted a gold ring from the woman, police personnel and family members surrounded and detained him on the spot. However, the two accomplices waiting inside the car managed to escape from the location before police could catch them.

Accused Identified

During interrogation, the arrested man was identified as Shakeel Khan, son of Nizamuddin Khan, a resident of Moradabad district in Uttar Pradesh.Police said he allegedly operated fake astrology accounts on Instagram using Hindu names to gain trust easily among users.

Women and Youth Targeted

Investigators revealed that the accused primarily targeted women and unemployed youth through social media platforms. Police stated that victims searching for solutions related to marriage, jobs, or personal problems were approached through fake astrology and occult-related advertisements. The accused allegedly demanded money, jewellery, or valuables in the name of tantric rituals and spiritual remedies.

Police Investigation Expands

Authorities suspect that the accused may be linked to a larger organised online fraud network operating from Haridwar and other cities. Police teams are now searching for the two absconding associates who escaped during the arrest operation.

Additional Superintendent of Police Anu Beniwal said the accused trapped people through fake spiritual claims and manipulated vulnerable users through social media. Police have advised citizens to remain cautious while interacting with unverified astrologers or self-proclaimed spiritual experts online.

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The Bilaspur Breakthrough

In a significant strike against the growing menace of online gambling in Chhattisgarh, the Bilaspur Police on Friday arrested two wanted bookies — Rajesh alias Raja Bajaj and his associate Pradeep Khatri — from a hotel room in Raipur, where the duo had been running an illegal online betting operation through the 'Ricky Panel' gaming platform. The arrests come after months of pursuit by the Anti Cyber and Crime Unit (ACCU) and the Civil Lines Police team.

What Was Seized

Acting on confirmed intelligence, police raided the hotel and recovered assets valued at approximately Rs 45 lakh. The seizure included Rs 6.90 lakh in cash, three luxury cars — a Honda City, Maruti Brezza, and Maruti Swift Dzire — expensive mobile phones, laptops, five bank passbooks, five chequebooks, a Honda Activa, and two registers containing detailed accounts of betting transactions running into lakhs of rupees. Documents related to more than ten bank accounts showing crores in suspicious transactions were also recovered and are currently under financial scrutiny.

Hotel Room as Headquarters

According to police sources, Raja Bajaj had booked the hotel room in a woman's name to avoid detection — a detail that emerged only after officers checked the hotel's register during the raid. Inside, both accused were found actively operating the online platform. The room yielded a full operational setup, complete with betting ledgers, SIM cards, and digital devices used to manage client accounts and wagers across the country.

How the Ricky Panel Operated

Investigations revealed that the accused ran their betting network through the Ricky Panel, through which clients were offered access to games including Aviator, Wingo, Casino, and Horse Racing — all carrying real-money stakes. Customers were recruited via Telegram channels, while WhatsApp numbers were used to share betting links. The profit-sharing arrangement was fixed: 65 per cent to the head office and 35 per cent to local operators.

The network was pan-India in scale, with agents on the ground across multiple states bringing in new customers and handling cash flows through a layered system of fake SIM cards and third-party bank accounts. Ordinary individuals were reportedly offered commissions to lend their bank accounts, which were then used to route betting money and launder proceeds.

A Trail Going Back to December

The chain of arrests traces back to 21 December 2024, when police nabbed a bookie named Manoj Poptani from Hemunagarar in Torwa, Bilaspur. During his interrogation, Poptani disclosed that he had been operating in coordination with Raja Bajaj and Pradeep Khatri. That disclosure set off months of surveillance and intelligence gathering, with Bilaspur Police placing a reward of Rs 5,000 on Bajaj's head after he went into hiding and kept changing locations to evade arrest.

Financial Investigation Launched

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajnesh Singh confirmed that for the first time in Bilaspur, a formal financial investigation has been initiated against a bookie. "A property worth approximately Rs 50 lakh in the accused's name has already been identified," he said, adding that further assets are being mapped for attachment. According to officials, the probe will cover the accused's complete income and expenditure trail to build an end-to-end case under asset recovery provisions.

Police Signal Harder Action

SSP Rajnesh Singh stated that the department's campaign against those running illegal online betting operations — and looting hard-earned money from ordinary citizens — would continue unabated. "We are now moving towards economic action against these operators. By tracing their financial trail completely, we intend to dismantle these networks at the root," he said, as per official statements.

The case underscores a wider pattern of online gambling syndicates operating across Chhattisgarh under the cover of gaming apps, using shifting locations and fake identities to stay ahead of authorities — a challenge that police say they are increasingly equipped to meet.