Treasure ritual con robs 62-year-old woman of 77L

Rajkot: A 62-year-old woman from Veraval in Gir Somnath district was allegedly defrauded of over Rs 76.66 lakh in cash and gold jewellery by two men who promised to unearth a hidden treasure using occult rituals, according to an FIR filed on Sunday.Veraval City police registered a case of cheating, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation against two suspects: Arif Gafar alias Bhuro Variyali from Una, and an unidentified individual known only as ‘Aghori Tantrik Baba' from Amodra. The complainant, Vijya Chorvadi, said that Arif, whom she knew through a family connection, lured her into the scheme by claiming the ‘Baba' had supernatural powers. Arif told her the tantrik could extract immense buried wealth, including diamonds, rubies and gold, from beneath a graveyard (masan) in Amodra village. Expecting a share of the treasure, Vijyaben agreed to fund the costly materials required for the rituals. Over time, the victim was drained of her savings. She initially handed over Rs 35 lakh in cash for ritual materials. Acting on Arif's instructions, she later bought and handed over specific gold and silver items for the ceremonies, including multiple custom-made gold snake idols weighing 115g each, a silver thali, gold chains and 480g of pure gold valued at Rs 34.70 lakh. She later gave him an additional Rs 25 lakh in cash. The fraud came to light when the rituals yielded no results and Arif stopped responding to her calls. When Chorvadi sought the return of her money and valuables, Arif allegedly threatened to break her legs and kill her if she contacted him or approached his house. Fearing for her safety, she informed her son, Jitu, who helped her approach the police. The FIR has been registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 507 (criminal intimidation).
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