Mangaluru: The Mangaluru Women’s Police Station has arrested a man from Hejamady on charges of cheating a woman suffering from depression by sexually harassing her and deceiving her of Rs. 1 lakh under the pretext of treating her for black magic and spiritual afflictions.
The arrested accused has been identified as G. Abdul Karim alias Kulur Ustad, a resident of Guruvayankare.
According to police sources, in 2022, the victim was suffering from depression and, on the advice of her sister’s husband, had gone to the house of Ustad Abdul Karim, who was then residing in Hejamady. It is said that there, Abdul Karim, also known as Kulur Ustad, saw the woman and told her that someone had cast a spell on her, and that she needed to undergo a ritual to get rid of it.
Abdul Karim had allegedly asked the woman to visit frequently, promising to cure her of black magic. The woman visited him several times, often accompanied by her elder sister. She informed the police that he had recited verses from the Quran to her during these visits.
However, on February 10, 2022, she went alone as her elder sister had other commitments. During that visit, the Ustad recited the Quran to her but then allegedly molested her under the pretext of treatment and took ₹55,000 from her, according to the complaint she filed with the police.
The victim also alleged in her complaint to the police that Ustad deceived her by claiming that the cost of her treatment would increase each time she visited Hejamady. As a result, she was allegedly cheated out of approximately ₹1 lakh.
It has been learnt that there are multiple complaints against the man, alleging that he cheated and harassed several others in a similar manner, posing as a Ustad who could remove black magic. Reports suggest that he misled people into believing that they needed to follow his instructions to protect their families from black magic, and under this pretext, he also physically harassed them.
Balakrishna Nayak, Inspector of the Mangaluru Women’s Police Station, has registered a case in connection with the incident and is currently leading the investigation.
