Court summons astrologer for cheating a US man of Rs 2 crore

A Delhi court today summoned an astrologer chargesheeted in a 2011 case for allegedly cheating an American citizen of Indian origin of Rs two crore in connection with a purported land deal here.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass issued summons against astrologer Suresh Shreemali for July 4, the next date of hearing, while allowing his exemption plea for today on medical ground.
Meanwhile, the court issued a non-bailable warrant against co-accused Vijender Aggarwal after he failed to appear before it in pursuance to the summon issued against him.
The case was filed on the complaint of one Ramesh Bhatia, an Indian origin hotelier in New York.

In his complaint, filed through advocate Falak Mohd, Bhatia had claimed that the accused had cheated him and induced him to give the money for buying a piece of land which never existed.
The complaint said that during his visit to New York in 2007, Shreemali had asked Bhatia to invest in real estate business in India and persuaded him to buy a piece of land.

Bhatia paid Rs two crore for the land, but later realised that accused had cheated him in the matter.
The police had filed a charge sheet in the case in January under the sections of 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.

"Accused Suresh Shreemali hatched a criminal conspiracy in connivance with other accused Vijender Aggarwal and cheated the complainant. He induced the complainant for making investment in India...
"He has received an amount of Rs 20 lakh from Vijender Aggarwal, from the amount received from the complainant and also got transferred the land of Rs 48 lakh from Vijender Aggarwal in the name of his servant Bajrang Gahlot adjusting the payment received from the complainant. Thus, accused Shreemali has cheated the complainant and he is liable for an offence under section 406/420/12B IPC," the charge sheet said.