It’s Witchcraft! Man charged after defrauding victim of $100,000
Posted March 30, 2017 11:51 am.
Last Updated March 30, 2017 6:55 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A 37-year-old man is facing three charges including practicing witchcraft as part of an ongoing fraud investigation.
Police say a 44-year-old man contacted the suspect after seeing an advertisement for the Sri Gayatri Astrological Center on Islington Avenue. Among the claims made in the ad is the removal of “black magic evil spirits.”
The victim, desperate to heal his sick daughter, initially paid $20 but that fee soon spiraled into 10s of thousands of dollars to remove the evil spirit from his family member. The victim was eventually defrauded of $101,000 over the course of multiple visits.
Murali Muthyalu, a visitor from India who police claim also goes by the alias Master Raghav, has been charged with practicing witchcraft, fraud over $5,000 and extortion.
This is not the first time a charge of witchcraft has been laid. Police say, while it is rare, three charges have been laid over the last five years.
