The woman, who ran a beauty parlor, raised the money by mortgaging her jewellery. (Representational)
A self-styled godman and another person were arrested in Maharashtra's Thane on the charge of cheating a woman of Rs 15 lakh, promising to solve the problems of her family.
The woman, a resident of Thane, had approached Ganesh Salunke, an acquaintance, for help, as her family was facing troubles in the recent time, including her son meeting with an accident.
Ganesh Salunke allegedly referred her to Rahul More, a police officer said on Tuesday.
Rahul More, who claimed to be a godman with powers to ward off "evil spirits" supposedly plaguing her family, took money from her several times between December 2017 to June 2019, she told police.
The woman, who ran a beauty parlor, raised the money by mortgaging her jewellery. Rahul More allegedly asked her to chant certain mantras and wear "blessed" strings.
When she did not get expected results, she registered a complaint with Kalwa police station against Rahul More and Ganesh Salunke.
Police registered a case under the black magic prevention act on July 7 and first arrested Ganesh Salunke. His questioning led to arrest of Rahul More, 26, from Jalgaon in north Maharashtra on Monday, the official said.
Further probe is on, police said.