Hyderabad: Telangana police have arrested an inter-state gang of fake sadhus and hawala operators that deceived residents of the city in the name of performing occult rituals. Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwath on Tuesday revealed the arrest of four fake sadhu and three Hawala operators.

The accused are natives of Sirohi district in Rajasthan, the police said while adding an inter-state gang of fake sadhus allegedly cheated people under the guise of black magic and collected huge money through the hawala system.

The arrested accused are identified as Ramnath (40), Jonnath (33), Govindnath (28), Arjunnath (22), Punaram (37), Prakash Jota (27) and Vasna Ram (22), all from Sirohi district in Rajasthan. The police have also seized Rs 8.30 lakh in cash from them. Two of the fake sadhus and as many Hawala operators are absconding.

The city police launched an investigation after a 53-year-old businessman from Bhongir Kondal Reddy filed a complaint that few sadhus cheated him to the tune of Rs 37 lakhs over the last two years on the pretext of performing occult rituals.

According to the police, Kondal Reddy had fallen from his motorcycle after losing balance as he came across a snake.

Sanjunath and Ghorakhnath, posing as fake sadhus, went to Kondal’s transport office seeking alms. They inquired about his injury. When Kondal narrated the incident, they told him that he has sarpa dosha and to come out of it they have to perform Puja.

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They duo visited his house and performed some puja for which they charged Rs 41,000. Later, all the six accused continued to cheat him on one pretext or the other. They fleeced him of Rs 37.71 lakh till February 2022. The accused were making him deposit cash with hawala agents.

@TelanganaDGP @TelanganaCOPs @hydcitypolice @cyberabadpolice @DCPLBNagar @DcpMalkajgiri @DcpBhongir @RKSC_Rachakonda @DeccanChronicle @THHyderabad @TelanganaToday @XpressHyderabad @TOIHyderabad @TheHansIndiaWeb @ntdailyonline @sakshinews @eenadulivenews @AndhraPrabhaApp pic.twitter.com/JPOxGtKfgQ
— Rachakonda Police (@RachakondaCop) July 5, 2022