BILASPUR (CHHATTISGARH): In a bizarre case combining criminal extortion and occult intimidation, the Torwa police in Bilaspur have arrested four men, including an Instagram-hired practitioner of black magic, for demanding money from a complainant and performing occult rituals at a local cremation ground to intimidate him.
According to police sources, the accused had been threatening the victim, identified as Suraj Sahu, demanding ₹1 lakh to cover court and bail expenses for a relative currently in jail over a knife attack, while forcing him to withdraw the case.
The Extortion Plot and Occult Rituals
The police investigation revealed that Priyanshu Bole, brother of primary accused Om Bole, was incarcerated in connection with a stabbing incident. Seeking to recover money spent on Priyanshu’s legal proceedings, Om Bole along with his accomplices—Tarun Bajaj and Mohd Israr—confronted complainant Suraj Sahu.
The group verbally abused Sahu and demanded ₹1 lakh from him. They threatened to murder him if he refused to pay or if he failed to withdraw the criminal charges against Priyanshu. Furthermore, they warned him that they would orchestrate black magic rituals against him to invoke “divine wrath” and cause him severe personal harm.
To execute this psychological warfare, the group turned to social media, connecting via Instagram with 28-year-old Rishikesh Kumar, who posed as an occult practitioner (tantrik).
The group set up an occult ritual site at the Deveri cremation ground (shmashan ghat). During the ritual, photographs of Chhattisgarh High Court Chief Justice, the incarcerated accused Priyanshu Bole, and the complainant Suraj Sahu were used in an effort to exert intense mental pressure and fear upon the victim.
Police Investigation and Arrests
Following a complaint filed by Suraj Sahu, Torwa Police Station Inspector (TI) Rajneesh Singh launched an investigation. Unraveling the links between the extortion threats and the strange activities reported at the cremation ground, police tracked the suspects across state lines.
Three of the accused who had fled to Nagpur were arrested in a targeted operation, while Rishikesh Kumar, who organized the occult setup, was also taken into custody.
The four arrested individuals have been identified as:
- Om Bole (23), resident near Gurudwara, Dayalband, Kotwali, Bilaspur.
- Tarun Bajaj (27), resident near Children’s Hospital, Torwa.
- Mohd Israr (22), resident of Safedkhadan, Torwa.
- Rishikesh Kumar (28), resident of Jagmal Chowk, Torwa (alleged occult practitioner).
Legal Action
The Torwa police registered a case under Sections 296, 351(3), 354, 308, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 7 of the Chhattisgarh Tonhi Pratadna (Prevention of Witchcraft) Act.
All four accused were formally arrested on August 10, 2026, and are being presented before the honorable court for judicial remand. Authorities added that further investigations are underway to identify any other individuals connected to the network or the occult activities.
