A Bengaluru woman was allegedly cheated of ₹2.5 crore by a self-styled ‘baba’ and two associates, who claimed her house was haunted by evil spirits and later lured her with a fake ₹505 crore RBI story. The CCB has registered an FIR and launched a manhunt.
A woman in Bengaluru was allegedly duped of ₹2.5 crore by a self-styled ‘baba’ and his associates, who convinced her that her house was haunted by evil spirits and promised to perform special rituals to remove them. According to the complaint, the accused exploited the woman’s fears before fabricating an elaborate story to persuade her to part with a huge sum of money. Following the complaint, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) has registered a case and launched a search for the accused, who remain absconding.
CCB Registers Case Against Fake ‘Baba’ And Associates
The victim, Kumuda, a native of Andhra Pradesh, lives with her family in Bengaluru’s Chamarajpet locality. Based on her complaint, the CCB has registered an FIR against self-styled ‘baba’ Apsar Pasha and two alleged middlemen, Shankar and Bharat. Police have launched a manhunt to trace and arrest the accused.
Woman Allegedly Trapped Through Superstition
According to the complaint, the incident began when Kumuda was trying to obtain a bank loan by mortgaging her house. Through acquaintances, she came into contact with Shankar and Bharat, who claimed they could help her secure the loan.
During this period, Kumuda’s son was injured in a motorcycle accident. The two men allegedly exploited the incident by claiming that her family was under the influence of evil spirits and that the accident was a sign of misfortune.
They then suggested that a special pooja conducted by a ‘baba’ could resolve her problems and immediately connected her with Apsar Pasha over the phone. The self-styled godman allegedly charged her ₹8 lakh to perform the initial ritual.
Fake ₹505 Crore Claim Used To Cheat Victim
A few days later, Apsar Pasha allegedly contacted Kumuda again with another claim. He reportedly told her that he was due to receive ₹505 crore from the Reserve Bank of India but needed ₹2.5 crore to pay processing charges before the amount could be released.
He also promised to return her ₹2.5 crore along with an additional ₹10 crore as a reward if she helped him.
Believing the claim, Kumuda sold her house for ₹8.50 crore and handed over ₹2.5 crore to the accused.
Victim Later Approaches CCB
According to the complaint, the accused stopped responding after receiving the money. Whenever Kumuda demanded that the money be returned, they allegedly made excuses and later threatened her with dire consequences.
Realising that she had been cheated, Kumuda approached the Central Crime Branch and lodged a complaint. Police have launched an investigation and are making efforts to trace the accused.