Dehradun, June 11 (PTI) The Dehradun Police has arrested a man for allegedly cheating a woman of 650 grams of gold by exploiting her superstitious beliefs and fear of an untoward incident, officials said on Thursday.
According to police, the accused, Rahul Thapa, used occult practices and fear tactics to convince victims that a misfortune was about to strike their households. Police said he then siphoned off large sums of money and valuables under the pretext of performing cleansing rituals and escaped.
The matter came to light on May 31, when Oshin Gurung, a resident of Shaheed Kishan Thapa Marg in Selaqui, lodged a formal complaint against Thapa. Gurung said two and a half months ago, Thapa used fear tactics regarding her family’s safety to perform a ritual at her house, during which he pilfered nearly 650 grams of gold.
After a preliminary enquiry confirmed the allegations, the Selaqui Police registered a case under Sections 305(a) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023.
Police detained Thapa, a resident of Telpura Attak Farm in Selaqui. During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime. Based on his disclosure, police recovered 150 grams of gold bars, melted down from the stolen jewellery, and Rs 5 lakh cash obtained from selling the remaining ornaments.
Police investigations revealed that Thapa had been working as a priest and fortune teller since 2013, organising religious gatherings. Motivated by quick financial gain, he devised a plan targeting affluent followers.
He would covertly drop bundles containing ritualistic materials into his targets’ courtyards at night, police said. The next morning, he would call them, claiming to have had a prophetic dream about a curse on their household, and offer his services to perform expensive counter-rituals, police said.
The complainant, who is a distant relative of the accused, was targeted because Thapa knew she was the only daughter of her family and possessed gold jewellery. On the night of March 1, 2026, Thapa rode his scooter to Gurung’s residence and dropped a black cloth bundle containing black gram, vermillion, cloves, and pieces of lemon inside the main gate, police said.
The next morning, he called Gurung to warn her about an ominous presence near her gate. When Gurung located the bundle and showed it to him via a video call, Thapa instructed her to leave it untied and reached her house shortly after, police said.
Upon reaching the house, Thapa directed the family to arrange a box for the ritual.
He instructed Gurung and her mother to place all their jewellery into a bundle inside the box, alongside coconuts, rice, and flowers.
Police said he then sent the women to the terrace to perform circumambulations with rice grains.
Seizing the opportunity, Thapa removed the jewellery and locked the empty box.
Before leaving, he instructed the family to place the box in their prayer room and advised them not to open it for 62 days, allowing him time to escape with the valuables, police said.
Police said they plan to seek custody remand for Thapa to recover the remaining stolen jewellery.
Police said investigation is underway to look into all aspects of the crime, including Thapa’s methods, past offences and any accomplices involved in the crime. PTI AKY ASD ASD
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