Couple held in Nagpur for duping elderly woman's family of gold worth Rs 2.55 lakh

A shocking case of superstition-driven fraud has come to light in the Khaparkheda area of Nagpur, where a couple posing as healers cheated the family of an elderly woman out of gold jewellery worth lakhs of rupees. Police have arrested the accused husband and wife.

Heera Bade, a resident of Rohaga, has an 80 year old mother who is paralysed. The family had been taking her for treatment at various places without much improvement in her condition. During this time, the family came in contact with the accused, who gradually won their trust on the pretext of treating her.

According to police, on September 9 the couple used this trust to trap the family in a web of superstition. They told the family that a snake deity resided in their house and that three pots filled with gold were buried under the ground beneath it. The accused claimed that if a proper special ritual was performed, the three pots could be made to rise out of the ground.

In the name of this ritual, the accused told the family that any gold jewellery in the house needed to be kept nearby during the ceremony. The family, having placed complete trust in them, handed over gold jewellery worth about Rs 2.55 lakh to the accused.

As soon as they got hold of the jewellery, the couple's true intentions became clear and they tried to flee the spot. The family grew suspicious and immediately informed the police. Khaparkheda police then swung into action and caught both accused.

The arrested accused have been identified as Suraj Ramesh Aidani and his wife Sheela Aidani, residents of Shri Krishna Dham, Koradi. Both were produced in court, which remanded them to police custody until September 13.

Police are now trying to find out whether the couple had targeted any other families using the same superstition ploy in the past. The investigation is ongoing.