Overview
- An FIR by V. Sathyanarayan, a senior administrative officer with the Income Tax department, alleges a roadside fortune-teller named Shekar posed as a parrot astrologer to win his trust.
- The officer first paid Rs 50,000 for a promised ritual, then handed over 194 grams of gold and 1.3 kg of silver that were to be returned after a ceremony.
- The valuables were not returned, calls went unanswered, and the complainant says he was threatened before the accused disappeared with his parrot near Sri Circle in Bharathinagar.
- Bharathinagar police registered a case under BNS sections 316(2), 318(4), 351(2) and 352, launched a manhunt, and are reviewing CCTV from multiple locations.
- The FIR pegs the loss at about Rs 31 lakh, while a later report from the same outlet estimates roughly Rs 35 lakh for the same items.