Thane man arrested for practising `black magic`

A 40-year-old man from Thane district in Maharashtra has been detained for reportedly practising black magic and claiming to have the ability to fight off “evil spirits.”

A woman from Kisan Nagar had requested the Thane man`s assistance for her daughter, who frequently became ill after being separated from her husband. Despite eight visits to the accused for therapy, her daughter`s condition remained unchanged, reported PTI. 

According to the report, the accused had advised the woman to take her daughter and other family members to a crematorium on the Padgha-Borivili road on April 20 night, where he would perform rituals to rid them of “evil spirits” for a charge of Rs 5,000.

The woman after reaching the spot, per the PTI report, found out that six to eight other persons were also present on the spot on the advice of the Thane man who claimed he would help them get rid of “evil spirits”. 

The villagers, however, discovered his activities, they caught him and turned him over to the police. He has been charged under the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil, and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act 2013 in response to the woman`s complaint, the news agency report further stated. 

In a separate incident, a 40-year-old history-sheeter was detained for attempting to murder a woman during a heist in Thane district.

According to another PTI report, the accused entered the woman`s home in Baneli village, Titwala area, at about 1 pm on Monday with the intent to rob her.

When the woman struggled, he stabbed her repeatedly with a knife. Her calls for aid drew the attention of neighbours, who captured the perpetrator and handed him over to the police, the report added. 

The accused, who has a history of robbery charges lodged against him in numerous police stations throughout the area, has been charged with various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including attempted murder.

Meanwhile, in another case from Thane district, the Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested a man for accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 on behalf of an official from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).