Two men tricked a doctor into believing they had a liquid that could double currency notes, ultimately cheating him out of Rs 33 lakh. The culprits, identified as Sheik Shiraj, 53, his son Sheik Aftab, 20, and Ram Naresh Yadav, 40, are all natives of Katihar in Bihar. They became acquainted with Ramoju Rama Chary, a registered medical practitioner, about two years ago while working on the construction of his house in Chandanapally, Nalgonda district.
According to Superintendent of Police Sharat Chandra Pawar, a few months ago, the fraudsters approached Rama Chary with the proposition that they could double his money using a special liquid. To gain his trust, they conducted a trial where they returned Rs 6,500 as Rs 13,000. Convinced by their scam, Rama Chary decided to invest a larger sum.
On June 22, the fraudsters visited Rama Chary's house, and he handed them Rs 33 lakh, money he had obtained by selling a property. They divided the money into 11 bundles and soaked them in the supposed magic liquid. While the bundles were soaking, Rama Chary was called to attend to a patient in another room, which also served as his clinic. During his absence, the fraudsters swapped the original bundles with dummy bundles, which had real Rs 500 notes on the top and bottom but white paper in the middle.
They instructed Rama Chary to let the bundles dry for a day before using them. The next day, when he opened the bundles, he discovered the fraud and immediately filed a complaint with the Nalgonda rural police station.
Acting on a tip-off, the police managed to arrest Sheik Shiraj and Ram Naresh Yadav at Nalgonda railway station. In order to get away with the money, the two were waiting to board a train. They handed over Rs 24 lakh to the police. However, Sheik Aftab, Shiraj's son, had already fled to Bihar with Rs 9 lakh.
Nalgonda District SP Sarath Chandra Pawar confirmed the arrests and the recovery of the money. He also mentioned that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the absconding Sheik Aftab. The case highlights the lengths to which fraudsters will go to exploit gullible individuals, using elaborate and imaginative schemes to con their victims.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/ Susmita Bhandary/MSM)