Ahmedabad: A 27-year-old witch doctor from Gota has been charged with cheating after allegedly deceiving three families in the Gota, Jagatpur and Sola areas of the city. According to a complaint filed with Sola police on Tuesday, the accused promised to heal two individuals suffering from sciatica and depression, and guaranteed another victim increased revenue from his garage business. The accused witch doctor, identified as Chandrakant Panchal, 27, a resident of the Vande Mataram area in Gota, was approached by the complainant in the case around six months ago. The complainant's wife, 40, was suffering from sciatica and had been under treatment for six years. Her husband took her to Panchal, who assured him that he could heal her, for which he suggested performing rituals at their house. During the rituals, he sought all the jewellery in the house, which he wrapped in a black cloth.

He then placed it in a corner of the house and told the family members not to open it for three months and a week. He warned them that if they opened it, they would die. This scared the family members who did not open it until recently, only to find stones inside. Meanwhile, the woman's daughter, 17, stated Panchal told her that their stars aligned, and proposed having a relationship with her.

He allegedly threatened her with dire consequences if she declined and molested her multiple times when he came over to their house.

Inspector K N Bhukan of Sola police said Panchal was caught on Monday by Mandal police in a cheating case, and during questioning, he confessed to committing similar crimes in Ahmedabad city as well. Bhukan said that he cheated two others while promising to treat depression in one case and boost garage shop revenue in another. The total amount of cheating in Ahmedabad city is around Rs 15 lakh. Sola police booked him for cheating and molestation.