Fifth of many parts
My name is Mariam (not my real name) and I am victim of a fake astrologer and witch doctor who exploited my vulnerability and spun stories of black magic. By the time I realised that he was a con, I was left with no money or emotions and he had left New Zealand. I am from India; I love my homeland and my people. I realise that con men exist in every country and society. I am thankful to Pratima Nand, a great social worker who introduced me to Indian Newslink, encouraged me to write my story so that people become aware of fraudulent people who cheat people in the name of astrology.
There are pieces of information about the fraud astrologer and his wife that I would like to share with Indian Newslink readers as I ruminate to figure out how I became a susceptible victim to his conning game.
One day, reading my palm, he asked for my date of birth and told me a lot of things that surprised me.
“Sister, do you wear sarees?” he asked, to which I replied, “I wear them in India.”
“Sister, I would like you to visit our Ashram in Mysore, India. I would like to gift you with a saree there.”
“I will be happy to visit your ashram and buy myself a saree and one for your wife Lalitha,” I said and asked innocently, “What is your real and full name, brother?”
He would never give me his real name.
Diabolic people
Showing a picture of a woman, he said, “This is my sister. You remind me of her. I would like you to be the aunt for my children and stay with us in our home in Mysore whenever you visit India. I know everything about your family; your brothers and sisters have betrayed you,” he said.
And then he threw the bombshell.
“Sister, an evil spirit has invaded your body; it is raping you every night and preventing sexual relations between you and your husband. It is creating bad vibes between your husband and your daughter and making your son cast lustful eyes on you. This evil spirit must be conquered and driven out of your body,” he said.
High diabetes
Just then, my GP called me on my mobile phone to say that she was worried about my high cholesterol level and that as I was diabetic, I was vulnerable to a stroke or heart attack. She wanted to meet me immediately for further consultation.
Listening to the conversation, the witch doctor laughed.
“Sister, these doctors know nothing. All they do is to send you to a specialist. By the way, do you suffer from Asthma?”
“Yes, brother,” I replied.
“I thought so,” he said, and continued, “That is because of the evil spirit in you. Whenever you look into the mirror, you would feel that there is a dark shadow behind you. This is because of the spirit.”
I was amazed by his knowledge of witchcraft.
Looking at my face, he exclaimed, “Look sister, this evil spirit has come over your face,” and showed me a picture that he had taken from his smartphone (which of course was purchased with my money).
Fear compounded
The photograph looked scary!
“Let us not waste any more time,” he said and asked me to give him $500 to conduct a special prayer.
He then asked me to bring some mud from my garden, tap water, a dress that I had worn earlier and a steel box to ‘conquer’ the spirit.
When I visited him the next day with all the stuff, he invited me to his prayer room. It had floral designs and rice on it. He asked me to put the money as an offering in a corner and started his prayer.
I had to keep the dress that I had taken on my lap and close my eyes.
Then he started reciting some mantras and asked me to blow out my breath. I breathed out.
All of a sudden he started screaming, “Look sister.”
The dress I had on my lap had caught fire and a hairy, creepy creature was crawling in front of me on the floor.
I was gripped by fear.
(To be continued)
