Man arrested for practising black magic

Malegaon: About one-and-a-half months after the state government promulgated an ordinance against black magic, witchcraft and other superstitious practices, the Malegaon police on Monday arrested a 32-year-old man from Aqsa Colony area for allegedly duping a woman of Rs 3 lakh with the promise of doubling her money with the help of black magic. The accused was produced in a court, which remanded him in police custody till Thursday.
The police have identified the accused as Ashfaque Khan of Aqsa Colony area. He was arrested after the woman, a resident of Amalner town in Jalgaon district, lodged a complaint against him with the Ayeshanagar police on Sunday evening.
"The woman also alleged that Khan has been sexually abusing her and her 18-year-old daughter since the last six months," said Yogesh Chavan, deputy superintendent of police, while talking to TOI.
"The accused has been booked under different sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to rape and sexual assault and also under the anti-superstition law," he said.
Chavan said that the police have launched a hunt for his accomplice. "A resident of Erandol in Jalgaon district is accused of helping Khan in committing the crime. We are sending a police team to Erandol with a warrant for his arrest," he said.
Chavan said Khan has been involved in the banned practices for the past several years. He said that black magic, witchcraft and other superstitious practices were rampant in Malegaon and the police were keeping a close watch on people involved in such activities.
Khan is the fourth person to be arrested under the anti-superstition law after it was passed on August 25. Earlier, two persons were arrested from Nanded and one from Deolali under the law. The law was passed after rationalist and anti-superstitious crusader Narendra Dabholkar was murdered by unknown assailants in Pune on August 20.