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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Bilaspur retired professor duped of ₹1.04 crore in 7-day 'digital arrest' ordeal

A retired college professor in Bilaspur was swindled of over ₹1 crore after cybercriminals kept her under 'digital arrest' for a week, using threats of terror funding charges and harm to her family.

In a chilling case of cyber fraud that underscores the rising vulnerability of senior citizens to digital scams, an 82-year-old retired professor in Bilaspur’s Civil Lines area was defrauded of ₹1.04 crore. The victim, Raman Srivastava, who previously served at DP College, was kept under "digital arrest" for seven days by fraudsters posing as law enforcement officers.

The scammers allegedly used sophisticated psychological pressure, sending forged documents from the Supreme Court and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to convince the victim she was embroiled in a terror funding investigation linked to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

The initial hook and intimidation

The ordeal began on the morning of April 20, when Prof. Srivastava received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown number. The caller identified himself as ‘Sanjay PSI’ and immediately began interrogating her. According to the police complaint, the fraudster claimed that her bank accounts were being used for money laundering and terror activities.

To solidify the fear, the criminals kept her on a video call for over two hours initially, forbidding her from disconnecting or contacting anyone. They presented fake bank statements and debit cards in her name, claiming her phone was being monitored.

A week of psychological captivity

Between April 20 and April 27, the retired professor did not step out of her house in the Real Heaven colony. The scammers told her that a specialized team was stationed near her residence to arrest her if she attempted to flee or alert the authorities.

"The victim was in such a state of panic that she believed her every move was being watched," a source familiar with the investigation said. Under this immense pressure, she followed the instructions to "clear her name" by transferring funds into what she was told were "government-verified" accounts for auditing.

Staggered transfers of life savings

The financial exploitation happened in phases as the victim desperately tried to avoid jail time. On April 21, she transferred ₹20 lakh, followed by ₹34.20 lakh the next day. By April 24, she had made four major transfers totaling ₹1,04,80,000.

Local authorities confirmed that the victim exhausted almost her entire life savings during this period. The scammers even threatened that if she failed to cooperate, her son—a director at an HR consultancy in Mumbai—and her grandson would also be arrested and jailed.

How the scam was exposed

The fraud came to light on April 27 when the criminals, unsatisfied with the initial haul, sent a fake ED warrant cancellation letter and demanded an additional ₹50 lakh to "permanently close" the case. With her accounts empty, Prof. Srivastava called her son, Prashant, in Mumbai, pleading for the money and crying that she would be sent to jail otherwise.

Sensing something was wrong, Prashant immediately flew to Bilaspur. Upon hearing the details, he realized his mother had been a victim of a "digital arrest" scam and reported the matter to the Range Cyber Police Station.

Rising trend of digital arrests

The Range Cyber Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indian Penal Code. Officials noted that this is not an isolated incident. Between December 2025 and early 2026, Bilaspur has seen a sharp 30-40% increase in digital arrest complaints.

Earlier this year, a local businessman was duped of ₹57 lakh using a similar modus operandi involving money laundering threats. In another case in Raipur, a retired veterinary doctor lost ₹1.28 crore after being intimidated by individuals posing as Mumbai Crime Branch officers.

Police have urged citizens, especially the elderly, to remember that no government agency—be it the Police, CBI, or ED—conducts arrests or investigations via WhatsApp video calls or demands money to "settle" criminal cases.