A case involving alleged fraud and subsequent robbery has been reported from Bilaspur district in Chhattisgarh.
According to the police, Vijay Kumar Raj, 48, who claimed to be a tantric, allegedly promised to multiply money through rituals, stating that Rs 2.50 lakh could be turned into Rs 2.50 crore through worship. To gain trust, a ritual was conducted in Sambalpuri village under the Bilha police station area, where coconuts and incense sticks were placed in front of bundles of cash and a video showed currency notes falling from above.
After seeing the video, four youths from Korea district reached Bilha on January 30. They allegedly handed over Rs 2.50 lakh to the accused, who assured them of quick returns. The police said three women and the village sarpanch’s husband, Rikhiram Navrang, were also involved. The sarpanch’s husband allegedly helped convince people, while the women spoke about tantric practices.
When the promised money was not returned even after a considerable time, the youths realised they had been cheated and went to demand their money back. The accused and his associates reportedly fled from the spot.
On the night of January 31, around 3:30 am, the youths allegedly stopped Vijay Kumar Raj near a roadside dhaba in the Ratanpur police station area. In anger, they allegedly assaulted him and fled after taking his car, three mobile phones and around Rs 8,000 in cash.
Following the incident, a special team was formed on the instructions of Senior Superintendent of Police Rajnesh Singh. Based on technical investigation and mobile location tracking, the police arrested the accused from Surguja and Korea districts.
The police recovered the robbed car, mobile phones and cash. During the investigation, it was found that Vijay Kumar Raj was also involved in fraud. Cases of cheating have been registered against him and his associates, while legal action is also being taken against the youths involved in the robbery.
