Hyderabad: Fake baba looting innocents held

Hyderabad: A fake baba who lured and looted gullible people, promising to resolve their problems and cure illnesses through black magic, and was also posing as an astrologer, was arrested by the Hyderabad Commissioner Task Force, South-East zone team, and the Chatrinaka police on Friday. The police seized Rs 14.65 lakh and material used for black magic. The fake was identified as SirigiriManjunatha alias Brammam, Koya Raju, Arjun Raju, and Manju (38) a resident of Kareemabad, Warangal.

The police swung into action following a complaint from Kandhadi Srikanth Reddy, in which he stated that his mother has been facing chronic health issues for the last six months. He said that in November, he and his father watched an ad of Manjunath, who is a Durga Devi Jyothishyalayam. They contacted him, travelled to Warangal, and met with him, where Manjunath informed them that he would come to their house.

The police said that Manjuanth visited their residence in November and explained that they have Naradosham in their house and made them believe that he would cure his mother’s health by offering the puja and took cash worth Rs 2 lakh. Since then, Srikanth has paid Rs 17 lakh. He lodged a complaint, and the police registered a case against him. On Friday, he was nabbed at MGBS.

The police said on inquiry, SirigiriManjunatha admitted that he hatched a plan to cheat the people on the guise of a spiritual basis and to gain money illegally and published advertisements as Durga Devi Jyothishyalayam and SammakkaSaralammaJyothishyalayam in local channels.

The people who faced hardships contacted and requested him to solve their problems by performing special puja/black magic. As per his plan, he cheated several others and gained money illegally.