‘He was my saviour': Astrologer confronted over $67k claim
A man claiming to be 'Brisbane's best astrologer' has been confronted on national television after a family claimed to have paid him $67,000 for his services.
Govindu Shastri, who claims to perform cosmic miracles for those struggling with everything from business, court and sexual problems to voodoo and black magic, told a Queensland father his services were the only thing that could save his children, to the tune of $67,000.
'He closed his eyes basically and then he said that 'I can see your aura right now and it's been covered by dark forces and there's an indication of black magic being performed on your family',' the man told A Current Affair on Monday night.
'I tried to save my family. I was so convinced there was no way out.'
Before meeting Govindu, the man and his wife had sought help from a psychologist and psychiatrist to help one of their children, who was struggling with poor mental health.
'Nothing was working, and then I thought, try (an) alternative cure,' the man said.
He booked an appointment with Govindu, who told him during their first meeting that a 'black magic' was growing among his family and had 'real potential to disrupt and destroy' them.
The first ritual Govindu performed involved him saying 'nine days of special prayers', for which he charged the man $2000.
'And he said that you have to pay another $14,000 because (the black magic) has moved onto your child now and that's more serious,' the man, who has not told his family about the money he has lost, claimed.
Govindu then said he needed to perform a third ritual – this one even more bizarre.
'He asked me to bring a jar and he asked me to breathe into the jar, basically, and he started chanting things, and the ball of flame just evolved from there, from the jar, big thick ball of flame,' the man recalled.
'And he (Govindu) said, 'I got it, I got it!'. He held the thing. Then he said that, 'This is alive now and if this one escapes, that's going to go after your child'.'
The man claimed Govindu told him he 'needed a dead person's body (of) similar size to (his) child to perform the next ritual', which would cost $50,000.
'So he told you he needed a dead person's body similar size to your child to perform the next ritual?' A Current Affair asked.
'Yes,' the man confirmed.
After he gave Govindu the money, however, he said he was ghosted by him and the ritual was never performed.
Asked why he didn't notice any 'red flags' in Govindu's behaviour, the man said it was because he 'was so convincing'.
'My personal condition was so overrun with my family situation,' he added.
'He was just my saviour.'
When confronted by A Current Affair at a Brisbane petrol station, Govindu denied knowing what an astrologist was – or that he was one at all.
'I'm not an astrologist, sorry for that. I don't know who that is,' he said.
Presented with advertisements from his Facebook page, Govindu said: 'I think you are coming for the wrong person.'
In a statement to news.com.au, he said: 'I have not done any scam, not even $1 scam. I feel to leave my life, and end my life here (in Australia). I am getting calls from my back home county. I have 2 kids and my wife here.
'We had a good positive life from the day. But now it has destroyed (my) entire life.'
An Office of Fair Trading spokesperson said that it does not regulate spiritual or astrological services specifically, but urged consumers to 'exercise caution when engaging with individuals or businesses offering services that involve unverifiable claims or require large financial commitments'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
19 minutes ago
- ABC News
Police launch investigation after woman dies in two-car crash in Newcastle
Police have launched a critical incident investigation over the death of a woman in a two-car crash in Newcastle. Just after 2:40am on Sunday, police said patrolling officers saw a sedan allegedly driving dangerously on Newcastle Road, North Lambton. They said a pursuit was not initiated due to safety concerns. A short time later, the sedan collided with another car near Arthur Street. The passenger of the other car, a woman believed to be aged in her 50s, died at the scene. She is yet to be formally identified. The driver, a 28-year-old woman, was treated by paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition. Police said the driver of the sedan had left the scene before officers arrived. However, two rear passengers — two girls aged 15 and 17 — were taken to hospital under police guard. Newcastle Road was closed eastbound for more than seven hours as police investigated and cleaned up the scene. A crime scene was established and a critical incident team from Hunter Valley Police District will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. Police said the investigation would be reviewed by the Professional Standards Command and oversighted by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Man dies after being struck by Transperth bus near Perth Arena
A man has been fatally struck by a bus outside a bustling sport arena in Perth, leaving a community in shock and sparking renewed calls for better pedestrian safety. The 45-year-old man died after being hit by a Perth Transit Authority bus as he was crossing Wellington St near the intersection with Milligan St - directly outside Perth Arena - just after 6.15pm on Friday. WA Police said the man was hit by a Transperth bus that had been turning right from Milligan St into Wellington St. The man was treated by paramedics but could not be saved and died at the scene. Inspector Vic Hussey told 9News it was a confronting scene. 'So a pedestrian has crossed the road and regrettably, he's come into contact with a Transperth bus that was travelling through this intersection,' Inspector Hussey said. 'It's a very, very sad scene here at the moment.' The 37-year-old male bus driver was physically unharmed but reportedly shaken. Witnesses said he appeared distressed and unable to speak in the immediate aftermath of the collision, while others nearby were seen crying on the street. 'I hear the bus driver is OK, but I'm sure that's going to play on their psyche for a long, long time,' one person told 9News. The crash occurred as hundreds of people were arriving at the arena to watch a Super Netball clash between the West Coast Fever and Adelaide Thunderbirds, and as city workers were leaving their offices for the day. The busy intersection was closed while emergency crews attended the scene and Major Crash officers began their investigation. Residents have since raised concerns about pedestrian safety at the intersection. 'It's not nice, especially when it's so close to home, and when it's something that could have been avoided,' one resident said. 'I raised this with the police about two months ago because I almost got killed.' WA Police confirmed the driver is assisting with the investigation and are appealing to the public for information. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam or CCTV footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
How teens are recruited as players in Sydney's gangland war
The phone buzzes with a job offer in an encrypted group chat full of young men. But it's not about repainting a house or mowing lawns, the person on the other end is looking for a hit-man. Police say they are now grappling with guns for hire in Sydney being recruited online getting younger and younger. Often, the teens do not know who is making the offer on behalf of the organised crime group paying them to shoot, kidnap and firebomb the properties of underworld rivals. Other jobs include stealing a potential getaway car and staging it in a nearby location for the gunmen to make their escape from the scene. In the most recent iteration of the city's gangland war, those recruited by warring crime gangs "for literally nothing" are juveniles lured by meagre sums of money, one police source noted. In the most recent attempt to take out an underworld figure on Monday in Auburn, police suspect the gunmen hired to shoot Samimjan Azari were recruited in a similar method. But as Taskforce Falcon Commander Jason Box said after a 16-year-old was charged with torching a barbershop in Merrylands, the consequences for those involved can go beyond the court system. "You're associating with serious organised crime networks and committing offences against them," Superintendent Box said. "The repercussions for their actions in the courts is one consideration, but there's also repercussions from the persons they're targeting from the organised crime networks. Superintendent Box said the owner of the torched barbershop has links to the Alameddine crime family, whose internal feud, police believe, is behind an explosion in underworld violence. The Alameddines are a Western Sydney family who police allege are one of the biggest crime gangs currently involved in the city's lucrative drug trade. Taskforce Falcon, headed up by Superintendent Box, was established last month after the internal feud saw Dawood Zakaria killed while sitting at traffic lights in Granville. Mr Zakaria was a member of the splintering Alameddine clan, though the hitmen's target was believed to be Samimjan Azari, who survived the attack in the back seat. Mr Azari this week survived the brazen fourth attempt to kill him this year when masked gunmen stormed the Auburn kebab shop he was in about 1pm on Monday. Police believe those responsible for picking up the offers to steal getaway cars and commit arson attacks are being recruited on encrypted group chats like Signal in a new marketplace for criminals for hire. "We believe [the recruitment] is from social media, encrypted devices and word of mouth," Superintendent Box said after they charged the teenager over the Merrylands firebombing. One day after forming on May 27, Taskforce Falcon charged another 16-year-old boy over allegedly staging a stolen "kill car" with jerry can of fuel, a balaclava and two guns inside. The items are consistent with getaway cars often found burnt-out in the aftermath of the dozens of underworld killings Sydney has experienced since 2020. A few days later a 17-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy were charged with stealing a car in Lidcombe. Jerry cans of fuel were found inside. Later that same day they also arrested another 15-year-old boy who they allege fled the scene after the stolen car, a Toyota HiLux, was stopped during a random patrol. In the botched attempt to shoot alleged Alameddine crime boss Ali Elmoubayed at his Merrylands home on June 12 police are investigating what role two teens may have had. The pair, both 17, were arrested after allegedly driving a stolen Ford Territory erratically in Greystanes in the aftermath of the shooting. Inside police said they located balaclavas, cans of fuel, bleach and knives. One of the teenagers — believed to have been a passenger in the alleged stolen vehicle — pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court and was granted conditional bail. His lawyer told the court it was the first court matter on his record and his first interaction with police. The lawyer expressed "extreme concerns" about the prosecution case against him, including that there was no assertion he was driving the car, or that the knife was his. All the teenagers who have been charged by Taskforce Falcon remain before the Childrens Court. Three adults have been charged over the shooting on Mr Elmoubayed's home, which forced him to leave over fears for his life. Former NSW Police officer Peter Moroney spent 18 years on the force, for most of those years he was chasing the worst of the worst. Mr Moroney could see similarities in how the teens are being lured into the underworld with his days tracking terrorists and how they recruited young extremists. "In terms of how [the children] are getting involved a lot of the time in disadvantaged areas when they're coming from broken homes they're looking for a sense of belonging," he said. "And these gangs offer that. But if a couple of kids get caught in the crossfire they don't give a rat's arse. "If they get a cleanskin to do it with no criminal record it's less likely to tie back to them. "But you have seen how their work is sloppy, back in the day they would have paid a lot of money, flown a hitman in and [the target] would be dead by now."
