The Delhi police have arrested two persons from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly posing as spiritual healers and duping a woman, a senior officer said on Wednesday.

The two accused have been identified as Md. Nazir, 41, and Md. Raja Khan, 30, both residents of Meerut.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan said the police received a complaint on May 21 from a resident of Patel Nagar in west Delhi alleging that she had been duped of ₹37,000 by the two. The woman told the police that she had chanced upon the duo via an ad on social media and sought help from them in solving familial matters.

“The accused first charged her for a single session and suggested a special ritual for curing her woes,” said the DCP. Following the ritual, the accused told the woman that her “negative energy had entered the body of a minor boy”, who had subsequently fallen ill, the officer added.

Mr. Valsan said, “The accused demanded a large sum from the woman claiming that the boy was in the ICU.” Through the analysis of their call records and bank transactions, the two were traced to Meerut. The accused have been booked under Section 318(4) (cheating) of the BNS. The police are going through the suspects’ bank accounts to ascertain whether more people have been duped.