Godman held for duping people of gold ornaments
The accused stole gold by diverting attention of people
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-11-16 02:28 GMT
Hyderabad: Taking a cue from Telugu film Indra a self proclaimed Murshid (Sufi teacher) stole gold ornaments from people by diverting their attention. The accused got the idea after seeing the way comedian Brahmanandam stole gold in the film. The modus operandi of the accused is to promise his victims that he would solve their problems by performing rituals (Bandish). He diverts attention by asking the victims to give their gold ornaments which he would wrap in a cloth. He asks them to say prayers and when they close their eyes, he used to replace the gold with other metals.
The cops recovered about 570 grams of gold worth Rs11.4 lakh from him.The accused, P. Mohammed Mehboob Pasha alias Pasha, 30, is a cook and a resident of Habeeb Fatima Nagar in Borabanda. He is a native of Gudur in Kodmudh of Kurnool district.West Zone DCP A. Venkateshwara Rao said a person named Syed Saleem complained that in January, when he was facing a financial crisis and his half brother Mohd Abdul Hameed alias Feroz was ill he visited Dargha Yousfuain in Nampally for prayers. They met Mohammed Mehboob Pasha who introduced himself as a Murshid. When the victims informed them about their problems he promised to perform rituals and do bandish on their gold ornaments to solve their problems.
“When the victims approached him with about 179 grams of gold ornaments, he recited prayers to convince them. He asked them to turn backwards and that he would tie the gold in a cloth for the ritual. When the victims turned their back he exchanged the gold with other material and fled,” said Mr Rao.Police said Pasha came to the city in 2002 and worked as a cook in a house in Motinagar. He is married and has three daughters. As his income wasn’t sufficient, he took to cheating. He also stole ornaments from his relatives’ houses in a similar way.
The DCP said Pasha was inspired after watching a scene of Brahmanandam in Indra in which the latter steals ornaments from the public by diverting their attention. The accused is involved in about six cases in Jubilee Hills, Habeeb Nagar, and SR Nagar, police said. He was arrested by the Habeebnagar police and was produced before court and sent to judicial remand.