Thane: A 75-year-old Mumbai-based businessman was allegedly duped of Rs 56 lakh by a ‘healer’ who promised to cure his ailments with alternative treatments before allegedly blackmailing him using nude photographs, police said.According to the Kasarvadavali police, the accused and an associate befriended the businessman at a Mumbai hospital nearly two years ago while he was undergoing medical treatment. Claiming to possess a cure for his health condition, the duo allegedly persuaded the elderly man to abandon his existing treatment and switch to their therapies.The victim subsequently began the treatment and reportedly met the accused at Gaimukh in the city, where he was given a potion allegedly containing various herbal substances for his health. The accused soon allegedly convinced the elderly man to share nude photographs, claiming they were necessary to monitor his physical progress during the treatment.Police said the businessman saw no improvement in his health despite undergoing the treatment and eventually refused to make further payments. The accused then allegedly began threatening him, demanding increasingly larger sums of money.“The accused initially sought a few lakh rupees, but after the victim complied, the demands escalated. He was threatened with recovery agents being sent to his residence and with his photographs being circulated online if he stopped paying,” said senior inspector Nivrutti Kolhatkar of Kasarvadavali police station.Fearing public humiliation, the businessman allegedly transferred a total of Rs 56 lakh to bank accounts provided by the accused over a period of time.Unable to endure the threats any longer, the victim approached the police, following which a case was registered by Thane police.The unidentified accused, who are constantly changing their locations across the state, have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to extortion, cheating, sale or distribution of adulterated medical preparations, and common intention. The transactions to the bank accounts where the money was sent have been blocked as further investigations are underway, the police said.
