Wayanad: Kerala police and Child Rights Commission have initiated an investigation against Muthuswamy, an astrologer, who has been allegedly cheating the tribals of Wayanad by collecting money from them and "declaring" several children as Gods. This astrologer allegedly collected Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 25,000 for each child he declared as God and after being declared as such, the children cannot go out and their education is stalled.
Authorities found this shocking practice when they went to enquire about the absence of a Class 10 girl from school. Further investigation revealed that as many as 25 children from Tirunelli Panchayat have been stopped from going to school because of the astrologer's declaration that they are "Gods". Speaking to ETV Bharat, one such child's mom says, "We are not letting our daughter go to school though she is in Class 10 because God's presence is in her body. Astrologer Muthuswami told us about this after declaring her a God"