Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A staff nurse of a hospital was allegedly duped of Rs3,14,500 by a woman from Jammu who promised to resolve her life problems through miraculous rituals at the Vaishno Devi temple. Banganga police have registered a case against the suspect, identified as Deepika Mangotra.
According to the complainant, Prachi Jatav, she met Mangotra in 2019 during a wedding in Jammu. In July 2024, struggling with career and personal stress, Jatav posted several WhatsApp statuses.
Mangotra contacted her, claiming she had become a sub-inspector only after performing a special Rs2.5 lakh puja at Vaishno Devi. She convinced Jatav that a similar ritual would solve her troubles.
Between July 17 and July 24, 2024, Jatav transferred funds to the suspect's digital wallet in instalments. On July 29, 2024, Jatav reached Jammu, where Mangotra allegedly took Rs60,000 in cash from her before confining her in a hotel room. Using excuses like lightning strikes at the temple or landslides to delay the puja, Mangotra began extorting more money.
When Jatav resisted, the suspect reportedly assaulted her and attempted to strangle her multiple times, threatening to kill her if more funds were not provided. Mangotra eventually forced Jatav onto a train without a ticket after deleting their WhatsApp chats to erase evidence.
Upon returning to Indore, Jatav filed a complaint. Following an investigation into bank transactions, the police registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for fraud and extortion. Further investigation is underway.
