Pune, Jan 20 (PTI) A 59-year-old self-styled tantrik has been arrested here in Maharashtra for allegedly cheating a person of Rs 3.80 lakh by claiming that a "black magic spell" was cast on the victim's brother and he could lift it through "special pigeons", police said on Wednesday.

As the brother of the victim (36) has been unwell for the last four months, the latter sought the help of the tantrik, a Kondhva police station officer said.

"The accused initially performed some rituals but later told the complainant that since the effect of the black magic spell is strong upon his brother, it would require special pigeons. He demanded Rs 6.80 lakh from the victim," the officer said.

The accused told the victim that these special pigeons will remove the "spell of black magic", and his brother would become healthy, he said.

"The complainant paid the tantrik Rs 6.80 lakh to procure these pigeons. However, the complainant later changed his mind and demanded his money back," the officer said.

However, the tantrik returned only Rs 3 lakh, following which the victim approached the police.

The accused has been arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act 2013.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)