Rajkot: A 36-year-old advertising professional from Rajkot was allegedly defrauded of Rs 11.11 lakh after falling prey to a ritual promising to quadruple his money.Based on the victim’s complaint, the Rajkot City A-Division Police registered an FIR on Tuesday night against his friend and a self-styled sorcerer.The complainant, Nitesh Kamdar, a resident of Sadhu Vaswani Road who operates an advertising agency at Malviya Chowk, stated that he was defrauded between April and Oct 2026.According to the FIR, Kamdar had been facing a financial crunch about eight months ago and shared his concerns with an acquaintance, Rahul Rupani, who previously worked with a local newspaper. Instead of arranging financial help, Rupani allegedly told him about his associate, Ramesh Makwana—a witch doctor residing in Vejalka village of Chuda taluka in Surendranagar district—claiming Makwana possessed mystical powers capable of multiplying any sum of money fourfold.In April, Rupani accompanied Kamdar to Makwana’s residence in Vejalka. During a demonstration, Makwana made Kamdar close his eyes with a cloth spread over his palms. Upon opening his eyes, Kamdar saw several Rs 500 currency notes lying in a brass plate beneath the cloth. Convinced by the spectacle, the businessman believed the sorcerer’s promise of a “shower of wealth” and agreed to pay Rs 2.5 lakh to initiate the ritual, under assurances that it would yield Rs 10 lakh within three days.However, the promised returns never arrived. When Kamdar followed up, the accused repeatedly cited procedural obstacles and divine displeasure, demanding more cash under various pretexts. These included claims that an expensive Rs 5 lakh protective amulet (taveez) had been made, that “the divine powers” were withholding permission, and that failure to provide more funds would bring ruin upon the complainant’s life. The suspects also extracted Rs 1.11 lakh citing marriage-related expenses for Kamdar, taking part in cash and having Rs 61,000 transferred directly to Rupani’s bank account.Later, Makwana instructed Kamdar to send an additional Rs 2.5 lakh via courier. In total, the duo allegedly extorted Rs 11.11 lakh in multiple tranches.When the complainant eventually visited Vejalka expecting to collect Rs 40 lakh, he discovered Rupani already present there with another friend. Makwana dismissed him with excuses, and Rupani subsequently claimed the ritual had failed.When Kamdar demanded his principal amount back, the accused threatened him with dire consequences unless he paid another Rs 2.5 lakh to recover the lost sum.Realising he had been cheated, Kamdar approached the police.
