A self-styled godwoman has been arrested for allegedly duping a Lower Parel resident of over ₹12 lakh for ‘washing away the sins of her past life’. The accused, identified as Kiran Daruwala, has been active for the last 12 years, and the N.M. Joshi Marg police are probing to find out how many others she may have cheated.
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Inquiries were initiated against Ms. Daruwala, who would call herself ‘gurumaa’, after a woman approached the police earlier this month.
“The accused claimed to have divine powers, including the ability to talk to god directly. The complainant approached her as she was facing multiple problems, including problems in her marital life and issues with her husband’s employment. Ms. Daruwala told her that the problems were due to the sins she had committed in her past life, which would have to be washed away through rituals,” an officer with the N.M. Joshi Marg police said.
From 2016 to 2019, Ms. Daruwala allegedly took cash, jewellery, and clothes worth ₹12,85,100 from the complainant before she suspected that she was being taken for a ride. Ms. Daruwala was arrested from her Currey Road residence on Thursday, and charged with cheating and criminal breach of trust under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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Senior police inspector Pandit Thorat, N.M. Joshi Marg police station, said Ms. Daruwala also committed certain acts in the name of rituals, which amount to molestation, due to which she has also been charged with outraging a woman’s modesty under the IPC.
“Although only one complainant has approached us so far, we are conducting inquiries to find out if there are any other victims,” Mr. Thorat said.