Pune: A self-proclaimed godman, who gained a woman's trust by helping her husband quit alcohol, tricked her into giving him gold jewellery worth ₹3.4 lakh under the pretense of performing a ritual. After receiving the jewellery, he fled the scene, but was later arrested by the Hadapsar police.
The accused has been identified as Nilkanth Suryavanshi (35), a resident of Kanersar, Khed, currently residing in Alephata, Junnar. A 44-year-old woman from Phursungi filed a complaint against him.
The victim had first met Suryavanshi two years ago near Yamai Devi Temple in Kanersar, where he advised her husband to quit drinking. When her husband temporarily gave up alcohol, she began to trust him. Over time, he regularly contacted her, providing guidance on family issues, and she occasionally sent him small amounts of money as a donation.
On March 25, Suryavanshi called her, claiming that her family was facing an impending crisis. When she asked for a remedy, he offered to perform a ritual. On March 27, he called again, instructing her to bring gold jewellery, including her mangalsutra and her daughter’s chain, so he could perform a ritual to ward off the negative energy.
At 1:30 PM on March 27, the woman met Suryavanshi near Hadapsar Vegetable Market. They went to a juice shop next to Mankar Dosa Stall, where he asked for the jewellery. She handed him a plastic bag containing the valuables. While holding the bag, he muttered something under his breath.
He then gave her a lemon and instructed her to walk ahead. He claimed that after she dropped the lemon, he would return the “purified” jewellery. Trusting him, she did as he said. However, when she turned around, Suryavanshi had disappeared.
Despite searching the area, he was nowhere to be found. He had escaped with 68 grams of gold jewellery, including a necklace, Lakshmi Haar, mangalsutra, and a gold chain, worth ₹3.4 lakh.
Following her complaint at Hadapsar Police Station, Senior Inspector Sanjay Mogle formed a special team. Using technical analysis, Sub-Inspector Hasan Mulani and his team tracked down Suryavanshi and arrested him.