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Nassau police arrests Indian-origin man over fortune telling scam
The identity of the victim has been kept concealed by Nassau County law enforcement.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Mon, 21, Jul 2025
- 02:23 EDT
- 145
Hemanth Kumar Muneppa / Nassau County Police Department
Nassau County Police arrested 33-year-old Hemanth Kumar Muneppa on July 17, 2025 on charges of Grand Larceny.
Muneppa had allegedly scammed a 68-year-old woman out of $62,000 through fortune-telling services. The arrest took place in a Hicksville bank parking lot, following a report from bank staff who suspected a scam when the victim attempted to withdraw $42,000.
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According to the Nassau County Police Department, Muneppa, operating out of Anjana Ji on South Broadway, charged the woman $20,000 on July 3 for services including “evil spirit removal.” On July 17, he demanded an additional $42,000, driving her to a bank to withdraw the funds.
The repeated large withdrawals and the victim's advanced age caused doubts about an ongoing scam and consequently bank employees alerted authorities, leading to Muneppa’s arrest without incident.
He faces charges of Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, Attempted Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, and two counts of Fortune Telling, a misdemeanor under New York State law, which prohibits charging for fortune-telling unless for entertainment purposes.
Muneppa pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on July 18 at First District Court in Hempstead and was released on non-monetary conditions. His next court date is August 14, 2025. In a statement to prosecutors, Muneppa admitted to performing palm and astrology readings, receiving “all $100 bills.”
New York law expressly prohibits fortune telling, except for entertainment purposes, the law states, "A person is guilty of fortune telling when, for a fee or compensation which he directly or indirectly solicits or receives, he claims or pretends to tell fortunes, or holds himself out as being able, by claimed or pretended use of occult powers, to answer questions or give advice on personal matters or to exorcise, influence or affect evil spirits or curses; except that this section does not apply to a person who engages in the afore described conduct as part of a show or exhibition solely for the purpose of entertainment or amusement."
Police claim that Muneppa has duped other people and have urged other victims to come forward.
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