Rabale police are on the lookout for a pandit (priest) who conned a lady by promising to perform Lakshmi pooja and make huge gains. The complainant, Rekha Salve, had received a call last week from this pandit who claimed to be an expert who could help her earn ₹2.50 crore from ‘devi’ if she spent ₹5 lakh for the pooja.
Ms. Salve asked the ‘pandit’, who introduced himself as Tukaram Patil, to come home a day before the pooja. According to Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Powar from Rabale police station, when Mr. Patil he reached the complainant’s house on Tuesday evening, “she told her husband he was known to her, but did not tell him about the money to be paid”. The complainant had a book binding business and her husband had kept ₹3 lakh at home in connection with that. Ms. Salve too had ₹2 lakh saved in the house. She gave the money to Mr. Patil on Tuesday night for buying the things needed for the pooja. The next day he left her house to buy the material needed, but did not return.
“Ms. Salve made several calls but his phone was found switched off. She then realised she has been conned and told her husband, after which they approached us and registered a case,” Mr. Powar said. Ms. Salve had clicked a picture of Mr. Patil which she forwarded to the police. “The greed of earning ₹2.50 crore made them fall prey to the fraud,” Mr. Powar added.