Students trial by fire for theft

Hyderabad: A teenager who claimed to have divine powers, made other students hold burning charcoal on their palms to prove their innocence in a mobile phone theft in Narsapur mandal of Medak district.

The students got burnt leading to a police case. The incident occurred near Sitaramaraju Gurukul in Pedda Chintakunta after a student lost his mobile phone in his hostel room.

In order to find the thief the 15 year old ‘bala baba’ conducted a lie detection test with fire. Medak police has registered a case against his parents, and sent him for counselling.

During an inquiry police found that the ‘bala baba’ has been performing his ‘divine activities’ for the last two years and earning money fooling villagers.

The teenager, who is a Class X student in ZPHS in Narsapur, became a demigod after his parents persuaded him to con people, said Narsapur SI, G. Gopinath.

According to the victims, who study in Sitaramaraju Gurukul, a student, N. Vinod lost his phone in the hostel room.

“Eight inmates live in that room, and he could not find the phone. He started suspecting another student named Prakash, who swore that he did not take it.

In order to prove his innocence, Prakash persuaded others to come with him to the ‘bala baba’, who gave them the lie detection test,” said Mr Gopinath.

The 15-year-old ‘bala baba’ who performed a lie detection test to find who stole a cellphone by placing burning charcoal in the hands of ‘suspects’, asked them to hold burning charcoal on their palms.

“He told them that whoever throws away the charcoal immediately is the thief and a liar. All the boys kept it on their palms to prove their innocence and got burnt,” said the SI

After that, the baba gave them lemon mixed water and told them that it will heal in a few hours, however it did not. Later the parents of the victims approached the police.

Police officials said that the baba even treated married couples when they had relationship issues. “He used to treat couples from the neighbouring villages.

A few had approached him complaining that they did not have children even after so many years of marriage.

He gave them lemons and asked them to keep it for a week and promised results,” said a police official from Narsapur.

Cops said his parents chalked out the plan and made him a fraudster. So the case is registered against them for cheating and hurting people.