KOCHI: An astrologer, who had been performing black magic to resolve personal issues of his clients, has been arrested for sexually harassing a woman in Palarivattom. Prabhat Bhaskar, 44, of Mala, Thrissur is accused of sexually harassing a woman who approached him to resolve her marital and financial issues.
According to the police, earlier this year, the victim came across the Instagram profile of the astrologer, who claimed to resolve any problems his clients are facing through special rituals.
When the woman contacted Prabhat, he asked her to visit him at his residence in Mala.
“During the consultation, Prabhat told the woman that he had foreseen her problems and suggested certain poojas for relief. Subsequently, after receiving money from the victim, a date was fixed to perform the rituals,” said a police officer.
Later, in May this year, Prabhat performed poojas in the victim’s presence at a place in Thrissur. However, as they proved to be ineffective, the woman contacted Prabhat again for further consultation.
“This time, Prabhat suggested performing black magic and convinced the woman to be alone with him while performing the ritual to attain its full potential. Thus, a venue was fixed in Chalikavattom. However, in the pretext of black magic, the accused made sexual advances and molested her,” said a police officer.
Later, Prabhat threatened the victim, claiming that she will get the curse of ‘Kuttichathan’ (spirit) if she reveals the rape incident to anyone. He even threatened to kill her. However, the woman revealed the incident to her close relatives, who advised her to lodge a police complaint.
“Our probe revealed that Prabhat was well-versed in astrology. His relatives are well-known in this field. We are investigating whether he harassed other women. His social media handles are also being verified,” the officer added.
RITUAL TRAP: HUNT BEGINS FOR MAN WHO RAPED WOMAN PROMISING TO CURE HUSBAND’S AILMENT
Kochi: Police have started a probe against a Malayinkeezhu native who raped a woman and impregnated her after promising to cure the ailment of her husband by performing rituals in Palarivattom. Palarivattom police are tracing an astrologer named Aneesh Jyothish, who sexually harassed the woman between 2021 and 2022.
The victim’s husband was suffering from epilepsy. It was through her relative the woman came to know about Aneesh who performed rituals to cure complicated diseases. Thus in the pretext of rituals, the victim was first raped at her house and later at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram. Following the advice of the accused, the victim separated from her husband and gave birth to a child last year. However, the accused avoided the victim after the birth of the child prompting her to approach the police.