Chandrayanagutta: 2 From Old City Held for Rape in the Name of Black Magic

Two people have been arrested by the Chandrayangutta police for allegedly practising black magic and sexually exploiting two women from old city. Syed Hasan Askari, a faith healer, and his son Syed Afroz reportedly trapped two women from the Bandlaguda neighbourhood of old city under the pretext of healing their mother's illness and removing bad omens. The woman had trust in Hasan Askari when she was cured of her illness. Earlier, the victim was living in Kishanbagh, Hyderabad. The victim's uncle brought her to A1, a faith healer, in 2005 when her mother was ill. A1 practised black magic on her, and she and her mother were healed of their illnesses. They have since trusted him and come to him for assistance whenever they have had a health problem.

When the woman divorced her husband in 2016, Askari advised her that her husband had an evil influence on her body. The accused led her family to believe that there was a bad omen in their home, which would threaten their lives and forced them to vacate. As a result, they relocated to Ghouse Nagar, Bandlaguda, Hyderabad, to a rented house. Subsequently, under some pretext, he forced the two victims to sell their home and took away the money.

"Hasan Askari used to chant some mantras, place lemons around her, and then induce her into hypnosis, and she used to obey him under the illusion. Later, he used to rape her," said K N Prasad Varma, Inspector of Chandrayangutta police station. Under the pretext of removing the evil spirit from her body, both father and son raped one woman and threatened another with severe consequences.