New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI) A 37-year-old occultist has been arrested from Ghaziabad for allegedly extorting money from several women here on the pretext of 'tantric' services, police said on Sunday.

According to police, the accused, identified as Harun alias "Bengali Baba", was a proclaimed offender in a cheating case registered in 2022. A few other cases were also lodged against him last year.

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Harun used to publish newspaper advertisements in the name of “Tantrik Baba” and offered to provide solutions for family disputes, hypnosis, and relationship and business issues, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Rohit Meena.

On being contacted by potential clients, he assured them of full-proof solutions and asked them to transfer money, Meena said.

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Even without being requested for occult service, he used to start reciting mantras over the call on his own and asked for payment in return. If the victims refused to transfer money, he used to threaten them to kill their family members, he added.

He used to especially target women, the DCP said.

"The police got a tip-off about the whereabouts of the accused, following which a team was formed and he was arrested from Ghaziabad on Saturday," he said.

"The accused was produced before the court and was sent to judicial custody," the DCP added.

(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)