A fraudster, who had posed himself as godman and decamped with gold ornaments collected from gullible people by promising to solve their health and financial problems at the spiritual centre run by him, was arrested by the Cyberabad police on Friday.
The 37-year-old Shivoham Rama Shivanujam, who was brought up at Shivoham Jnana Guru Peetham at Kaladi in Thrissur of Kerala, is a scholar of Krishna Yajurvedam. The Cyberabad Special Operations Team of Balanagar also nabbed his wife Shivoham Tejasvi (29) and seized 1.92 kg of gold ornaments from their possession.
In 2001, the accused had come to Hyderabad and used to perform yagams and puja and, subsequently, launched his own spiritual centre, Tatva Peetham, at Yousufguda and later shifted to Erragadda, said Cyberabad Commissioner of Police VC Sajjanar.
He also delivered spiritual lectures on television channels.
Mr Sajjanar said the accused also made money by mortgaging the jewellery. “He was involved in 11 cases in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh,” the Commissioner added. He said one of the victims was a police officer’s wife.