Cuttack: A self-proclaimed godman was arrested by the police for allegedly duping a childless couple of more than Rs 3 lakh on pretext of blessing them with an offspring in Odisha’s Cuttack.
The accused has been identified as Siddheswar Samantray of Dharmasala in Jajpur district.
Sources said the Badambadi Police apprehended the self-styled godman following a complaint lodged by the couple alleging that the fake baba had extracted huge money by promising to bless them with their own baby with divine power, it was alleged.
The fraud, who claimed to have his Ashram in places like Soro, Balasore and Keonjhar and also in Himachal Pradesh, duped the couple of around Rs 3.90 lakh with his promise.
The couple faced some complications in having a baby after some years of marriage and underwent various medical treatments, which yielded no results.
As they started believing in rituals and worships, they came in contact with Samantray through friends. The accused started taking money from the couple on pretext of performing some rituals at home and providing them herbal medicines that can do wonders.
The accused collected around Rs 3.90 lakh within a year and when the couple raised questions, he tried to scare them. Finally the couple decided to approach the police.
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