Indian police have busted a cyber fraud racket in which two men posed as spiritual healers, using fake social media profiles to cheat victims through elaborate staged rituals and tantric remedies.
Key Points
- Two men arrested for running a cyber fraud racket posing as spiritual healers.
- The accused used fake female profiles on social media to lure emotionally vulnerable victims.
- Victims were manipulated into paying for staged rituals and tantric remedies.
- Police investigation traced the accused to Mohali, recovering smartphones with incriminating evidence.
- The accused interacted with over 2,000 people across India through fake profiles.
Two men were arrested for allegedly running a cyber fraud racket, where they posed as spiritual healers using fake female profiles and cheated victims through staged rituals and tantric remedies, police said on Friday.
Accused Posed As Spiritual Guides Online
The accused Ganesh (21), who is pursuing a BA through distance education, and Mandeep Singh (21), who has completed an ITI course in diesel engine mechanics and is a graduate, are residents of Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar, they said.
According to police, the accused operated from a rented flat in the Kharar area of Mohali, where they were arrested. They allegedly targeted emotionally vulnerable people across the country through fake social media accounts under the banner "All Problems Solutions".
Modus Operandi: Exploiting Vulnerable People
The complainant alleged that people posing as spiritual healers emotionally manipulated him, promising to resolve his personal problems through special rituals and spiritual remedies.
He allegedly transferred Rs 2.51 lakh to the accused in six separate transactions, police said.
Fake Social Media Profiles Used To Lure Victims
During an investigation, police found that the accused had created multiple fake female profiles on social media platforms using names such as "Zaynab Khan", "Muskan Khan", "Kavita Chaudhary", "Zara Khan" and "Islam Wzifa".
"These fake profiles were used to post comments and fabricated success stories claiming that a spiritual healer had solved love, marriage and family-related issues," a senior police officer said.
Victims who approached these profiles seeking help were then provided numbers operated by the accused, who allegedly posed as spiritual healers and convinced people to pay money for pooja materials, tantra vidhya and rituals, police said.
Investigation And Evidence
Police said the team traced the accused to Mohali after carrying out technical analysis of numbers, social media accounts, login sessions, IP details and financial transaction trails.
Police recovered five smartphones allegedly used in the crime.
Police said the seized devices contained incriminating chats, QR codes and other digital evidence. Data recovered from the phones revealed interaction with more than 2,000 people across India, police said. Further investigation is underway, police said.
