A fake astrologer aged 22 was taken into custody in the Kanakapura Rural police station on the charges of abetment of suicide of a businessman aged 25 in the Ramanagara district of Bengaluru.
On March 9, the entrepreneur identified to be Muthuraju, an inhabitant of Chandupra village in Maddur Taluklost killed himself by jumping into the Arkavathi river at T Bekuppe Circle in the taluk of Kanakapura. An FIR was lodged pertaining to an unnatural cause of death as the owner’s family did not harbour suspicions about anyone.
Suspicions arose among the family members of the deceased when they went through Muthuraju’s cell phone 10 days after his death and they discovered the reason for his suicide to be extortion and blackmail. On Tuesday, V Shilpa, the 23-year-old spouse of the victim went to the local police station and lodged a complaint. According to the lodged FIR, a graduation student, Vishnu Shastri was taken into custody on the charges of abetment of suicide (IPC 306).
As per officials, the deceased owned and managed a sawmill in the vicinity of Dodda Avalahalli and suffered a loss in the business. In a wild attempt, he had found the fake astrologer’s details on a social media platform.
According to the investigation, Vishnu had guaranteed Muthuraju to resolve his issues and taken photographs of Muthuraju’s family. The officer further added that the accused photoshopped the photographs of Muthuraju and his mother-in-law and began blackmailing him for money or he would make it look like Muthuraju took his advice to have an illegitimate relationship with his mother-in-law. Unable to bear the torture and mental pressure any longer, Muthuraju took the extreme step.
