Man held for raping woman on promise of removing 'black magic'

A 35-year-old homemaker from Mumbai was allegedly raped by a Thane resident under the pretext of removing the effects of "black magic", the police said Saturday.

While the main accused Noor Mohammad Shaikh (49) is on the run, police Friday night arrested his wife Rubina (33) for abetting the crime, an official said.

The Shaikhs, hailing from Rabodi in Thane, promised the woman to lift a "black magic spell" which they said was cast on her, and took Rs 1.48 lakh from her in 2015, the official said.

The duo also took Rs 30,000 from the mother of the victim, he said.

According to police, Noor had been raping the woman since 2015 while Rubina used to film the act.

He also threated to kill the woman and her family members if she didn't submit herself to him, the official said.

The Shaikhs also forced the woman to pay Rs 50,000 by threatening to release the video of the act.