Mumbai techie loses Rs 12 lakh in astrology scam

A techie from Mumbai lost over Rs 12 lakh in a scam involving a fake astrology app called DevineTalk. He wanted to improve his life and downloaded the app, where he met a supposed spiritual guide named Nishant. Nishant convinced the man to pay Rs 6,300 for a cleansing ritual. After agreeing, he was introduced to a "Bade Maharaj," who claimed that further payment was needed to complete the rituals. The initial fee grew quickly to Rs 15,300, and then another Rs 28,000 was demanded for various reasons. When the victim asked for proof of the rituals, he faced increased pressure from the fraudsters. They warned him that incomplete rituals could harm his life. Fearing for his future, he continued to pay, maxing out his credit cards and borrowing money to keep up with the demands. Over six days in January, he ended up paying a total of Rs 12.20 lakh. It was only after discussing the situation with friends that he realized he had been scammed. When he contacted customer support for the app, they offered him more services but did not alleviate his concerns. After doing some research, he found that many other users had similar complaints about DevineTalk. Finally, on March 25, he reported the case to the cyber police, leading to a formal investigation.