Haunted house to breakup solutions: Delhi Police unmask 20-year-old Instagram tantrik who sent victims 'ghost photos'

A 20-year-old man from Rajasthan has been arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly orchestrating an elaborate online fraud, posing as a tantrik on Instagram to cheat individuals by preying on their personal anxieties and superstitious fears.

The accused, identified as Rahul from Jhunjhunu district, was apprehended on October 9 following a complaint that revealed a sophisticated scam exploiting emotional vulnerabilities for financial gain.

The case, reported by The Indian Express, was initiated after a New Delhi resident, Manisha Naveen Jiloya, filed a complaint. She stated she had encountered an Instagram page named “@AGHORI_JI_RAJASTHAN”. According to police, the accused manipulated the victim by instilling a fear that her house was haunted. To bolster his claims, he sent her fabricated images depicting ghostly figures, creating a compelling illusion of a supernatural threat.

Once he had gained her trust, he demanded money to perform rituals to remove the alleged evil spirits. The victim transferred a total of Rs 1.14 lakh to the fraudster. After receiving the payment, the man ceased all communication, prompting her to approach the authorities.

A case was subsequently registered on September 6 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Cyber Police Station. A special team was formed under Inspector Harish Chandra and supervised by Assistant Commissioner of Police VKPS Yadav. Their investigation, which combined technical surveillance and local intelligence, led them to Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, where Rahul was arrested, The Indian Express reported.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime, revealing the scope of his operation. He admitted to operating multiple fake Instagram accounts and a bogus website. His purported services, advertised to a vulnerable audience, included “breakup solutions,” “love marriage” assistance, resolving “husband-wife disputes,” and “black magic removal.”

Police investigations indicate that he did not rely on chance encounters alone. To widen his net, he used paid Instagram advertisements to target and attract more victims. The police reportedly said that his modus operandi has allegedly cheated over 50 people.

Upon raiding his location, police recovered three mobile phones, five SIM cards, three debit cards, three cheque books and details of the fake website used to facilitate the fraud. The seized electronic evidence has been sent to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) for a deeper forensic analysis and to cross-verify the accused's involvement in similar complaints from across the country.

Authorities are working to identify all the victims and trace any additional accounts linked to the arrested individual.