‘Miracle baba’ cheats woman of Rs 3 lakh in Rajkot

RAJKOT: A fraudster calling himself ‘chamatkari baba’ defrauded a woman of Rs 2.73 lakh in three months, promising to change her life with miracles and bring prosperity to her family that was battling several problems.
The victim Bhavna Vaghela registered a complaint against Ishwar Radha Vallabh Joshi with the Bhaktinagar police station for cheating.
Vaghela contacted Joshi after seeing his advertisement on a TV channel wherein he claimed to have solutions to all problems and bring mental peace and prosperity using tantrik rituals.
Vaghela, a mother of two, remained ill after meeting with an accident a few years ago. Her husband was also facing problems in his driving business.
She contacted Joshi on the phone number given in the advertisement. He started demanding money for performing various rituals and the woman kept paying him from her savings. When she ran out of money, she mortgaged her jewellery and borrowed money without informing her husband. In February, Joshi demanded Rs 35,000 for the final ritual but Vaghela did not have money and demanded to meet him personally to discuss his methods. After this Joshi stopped taking her calls and she realized that she was cheated.