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Mumbai crime: Facebook friendship turns nightmare; husband rescues wife from manipulative astrologer

Updated on: 21 March,2026 10:05 AM IST  |  Mumbai
Samiullah Khan | samiullah.khan@mid-day.com

Driven by extramarital affair guilt, wife decides to message her husband about her decision to end her life. Husband engages her for nearly two hours, arrives where his wife was calling from and embraces her, saying, “I have no complaints… without you, my life is incomplete”

Mumbai crime: Facebook friendship turns nightmare; husband rescues wife from manipulative astrologer

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What began as a harmless Facebook friendship turned into a chilling spiral of manipulation, sexual exploitation, blackmail and financial ruin for a 36-year-old woman — pushing her to the brink of suicide.

Over more than a year, the accused, posing as an astrologer, allegedly gained her trust, exploited her, and siphoned off nearly Rs 33 lakh, including loans and gold. The ordeal ended only when a two-line message to her husband triggered a race against time that ultimately saved her life.


Illustrations/Uday Mohite



1. A casual FB conversation slowly turned into control, as a man posing as an astrologer gained her trust by revealing personal details and positioning himself as someone who ‘understood’ her life better than anyone else

Illustrations/Uday Mohite

2. Meetings that started innocently at a café soon escalated to isolated outings, where emotional manipulation blurred boundaries, leaving her vulnerable to exploitation she did not see coming

Illustrations/Uday Mohite

3. The turning point came when intimacy was weaponised, secretly recorded and turned into a tool of fear, trapping her in a cycle of silence, coercion and repeated abuse

Illustrations/Uday Mohite

4. Over months, threats replaced trust as she was forced to part with nearly R33 lakh, take loans, and hand over gold, each payment buying temporary relief but tightening the grip of blackmail

Illustrations/Uday Mohite

5. Crushed by guilt and relentless pressure, she reached her breaking point, sending a final message to her husband, believing escape from life was the only way out

Illustrations/Uday Mohite

6. Reading between the lines, her husband sensed the danger instantly, choosing calm over panic as he kept her engaged, speaking to her continuously while racing against time to reach her

Illustrations/Uday Mohite

7. When he finally stood at the door and opened his arms, it broke the silence she had been living in, and she collapsed into him, recounting a year of fear, manipulation, and suffering

Illustrations/Uday MohiteIllustrations/Uday Mohite

8. What followed was not just healing but action, as the couple approached the police together, leading to a case being registered and the arrest of the accused, bringing an end to the deception that had nearly cost her life.

The case at a glance

Victim: 36-year-old woman
Accused: Man posing as astrologer
Platform: Facebook
Duration: Over 1 year
Money lost: Rs 33 lakh
Other losses: 8 tolas gold
Crimes alleged: Sexual assault, blackmail, extortion, cheating

How the trap unfolded

. Fake identity builds emotional trust
. Personal details used to convince and control
. Meetings escalate from café to beach to lodge
. Sexual assault was allegedly recorded secretly
. Video used for repeated blackmail and exploitation

The breaking point

Overwhelmed by fear and guilt, the woman decided to end her life. Before doing so, she sent a message to her husband:  “I am not worthy of you… I cannot face you… I am leaving, never to return.”

Stayed on call for 1 hour and 45 minutes

. Reassured her repeatedly
. Reached home just in time
. “I told her she is my life… she ran into my arms and told me everything”

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