The police have arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly duping a woman of Chandigarh of nearly Rs 40 lakh by posing as a ‘tantrik’ (a man practising magic) on social media platforms.

The accused, identified as Rohit Bhargav, a resident of Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, was arrested in connection with a case registered in January here.

The victim, who is reportedly suffering from mental distress due to family issues, came across advertisements on Facebook and Instagram claiming to offer solutions to personal and domestic problems. The accused, along with an associate, allegedly used fake religious identities — a “Tantrik Baba” and a “Maulana” — to gain the victim’s trust. She was subsequently threatened with fabricated supernatural dangers and persuaded to make repeated payments for supposed remedies.

Between February 2024 and May 2025, the victim transferred money multiple times to different bank accounts and also handed over around 150 grams of gold jewellery to the accused in Chandigarh. She was duped of approximately Rs 40 lakh, including the value of gold.

The police identified the accused through bank KYC documents and mobile data. Two mobile phones were recovered from him.