A senior Income Tax official from Bengaluru was allegedly cheated of gold, silver ornaments and cash worth more than ₹31 million. The defendant is a roadside astrologer whom he met by chance.
The victim is V Sathyanarayan, a non-public government official working in the Income Tax department, according to News18, which cited a complaint lodged with the Bharathinagar police.
Sathyanarayan first encountered astrologer Shekar in December 2025. The alleged incident took place between Christmas 2025 and March 4, 2026 near St John’s Road, near Shree Circle in Bharathinagar, News18 added.
A man was sitting by the roadside offering parrot astrology (gili shastra) readings. He claimed to be able to read a person’s future just by looking at their face.
Sathyanarayan interested him to read the horoscope. Shekar told him that he was going through a difficult phase. He suggested a special ritual for him ₹50,000. The officer agreed and paid a week later.
Sathyanarayan then declared that the ritual was complete. However, he soon said that a “more powerful ritual” was needed for career growth and promotion. The tax official initially refused.
However, when Sathyanarayan later approached the astrologer about a pending transfer at work, Shekar again insisted on a larger ritual.
This time he asked Sathyanarayan to bring all the gold and silver ornaments from his home. He promised to return everything after performing the ritual.
On February 20, when his family was away, Sathyanarayan handed over gold ornaments weighing around 194 grams. The collection included a necklace, earrings and a bracelet. He also handed over about 1.3 kg of silver ornaments to Shekar. The astrologer asked him to come back the next day and collect them.
But Shekar kept stopping and claimed that the ritual was still going on. When Sathyanarayan pushed his valuables back, the astrologer stopped taking his calls. He allegedly threatened Sathyanarayan and his family.
Sathyanarayan then lodged a police complaint. Shekar is currently on the run. According to the police, efforts are underway to track him down and arrest him.
Accusation and Punishment
Shekar has been booked for Criminal Breach of Trust, Cheating (Aggravated), Criminal Intimidation and Intentional Insult with intent to cause Breach of Peace.
The charge of cheating under BNS 318(4) is the most serious. If found guilty, he faces up to 7 years in prison. The criminal offense of breach of trust pursuant to BNS 316(2) is punishable by imprisonment for up to 5 years.
Imprisonment for intimidation under BNS 351(2) may be extended to 2 years. An insult to provoke a breach of the peace according to BNS 352 can also result in 2 years imprisonment.
