Hyderabad: A gang of seven tricksters duped a Hyderabad resident of ₹21 lakh in a staged “money rain” ritual in Chevella forest, promising to multiply the cash to ₹4 crore. Five members of the gang have been arrested, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred on July 25, when the victim, a resident of Gandipet, was lured to a forested area in Mudimyala, Chevella mandal, after being convinced of a “demo” in Adilabad on July 18. The accused claimed they could invoke a supernatural downpour of currency using the victim’s cash as a base.
During the ritual, the accused demanded that all phones be switched off, citing intense sounds and light from the supposed process that only “swamijis” like them could withstand. While pretending to perform the ritual with turmeric, vermilion, lemons, and incense sticks, they quietly swapped vehicles and fled with the entire ₹21 lakh.
Police arrested A1 Siddheshwar Datt Wankhade and A2 Prakash Marothrao Madhavi (both from Maharashtra), A3 Singare Dharmender (Adilabad), A4 Mulukuntla Sanjeev Kumar (Peddapalli), and A5 Koumandla Srinivas (Mancherial). Two others—A6 Devlov Shinde and A7 Prashant Patil, also from Maharashtra—remain absconding.
Investigators recovered ₹18 lakh in cash, 1 gram of gold, and bundles of fake ₹100 and ₹500 notes printed with names like “Children Bank of India,” “Manoranjan Bank,” and “RBI.” Police said the group first earns trust with a staged demo before switching real cash with counterfeit bundles.
Chevella SI Santosh Reddy warned the public not to fall for such cons or trust unknown individuals promising quick riches.