Man held for duping family of Rs 5 lakh with promise of curing mentally unwell person

A man was arrested for allegedly promising to treat a mentally unwell person with black magic and duping the latter's family of Rs 5 lakh, police in Thane in Maharashtra said on Thursday.

The accused had promised the family that he would treat the mentally unwell person and extracted Rs 5.39 lakh from them in this connection, Inspector Navnath Rupavate of Bazarpeth police station official said.

''After the mentally unwell man's sister lodged a complaint, we held the 37-year-old accused under Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act,'' he said.

He was held on Tuesday and has been remanded in custody for five days, the official added/.