36- year-old female tarot card reader raped in Delhi's Neb Sarai by man known to her

New Delhi: A 36-year-old female tarot card reader was allegedly raped in south Delhi's Neb Sarai by a man who offered to help her sell a property and later struck a friendship on the pretext of learning astrology from her, police said on Monday.

The woman filed a police complaint alleging she had been raped by an acquaintance on February 11.

According to police, the woman had contacted one Gaurav Aggarwal, a resident of Malviya Nagar, regarding the sale of a property in January 2024.

Aggarwal visited the complainant's house and assured her he would help her sell the property, said a senior police officer.

The accused also came to know that the woman was interested in astrology and started calling under the pretext of learning astrology to get into her good books, the officer said.

On January 24, Aggarwal called the woman and took her to his friend's house in Neb Sarai to finalise the property deal.

There, he allegedly mixed something in her drink that made her unconscious, and then raped her, the officer said.

Police said that Aggarwal, who has been absconding ever since, has been booked under charges of poisoning, criminal intimidation, and rape.

"Efforts are being made to apprehend the alleged perpetrator," police in a statement said.

The FIR, filed on the basis of the victim's complaint, read, "I have known Gaurav for two years now, as both of our children have been studying in the same school. Our families became friendly through this connection. He visited our home in early January to assist with the sale of a plot belonging to someone we know." The woman told police that Aggarwal had feigned interest in astrology only to get close to her and later showed interest in hiring her services for tarot card readings to aid his business.

According to the FIR, lodged at Neb Sarai Police Station, she had also agreed to meet him at a hotel in Saket for this purpose.

"Upon regaining consciousness, I realised I had been raped but felt too ashamed to immediately confide in my husband. Finally, on February 10, I gathered the courage to tell him," the FIR read.

"We confronted the accused at his office in Malviya Nagar, but he denied any wrongdoing and instead verbally abused and threatened both of us," the FIR read.

Several teams have been formed to investigate the case and to nab the accused, police said.