In Uttar Pradesh, a group of conmen managed to pull off a massive scam at the expense of an Indian doctor. According to Indian media, they sold him a regular lamp along with the story of a popular folk tale, Aladdin. They promised the doctor that the lamp will bring him good fortune. Dr Laeek Khan paid about 7 million INR (94,000 USD) but reportedly the deal was set for much more.
Khan soon realized that the lamp had no magical powers as described in the folklore. He went to the police and explained that the conman said that if he rubbed the lamp, a supernatural being would appear but it didn’t.
In the story, a genie comes out of the lamp if it’s rubbed and grants 3 wishes to his masters. Apparently, the doctor wanted the same.
How Indian Doctor Was Fooled Into Believing The Lamp Was Real
In the complaint, Dr. Khan described the incident in detail. He first met the conmen during his visits to the treatment of their alleged mother. For over a month as he performed treatment, the conmen used to talk about a baba (spiritual figure) who performed various rituals and also visited their home.
They gradually began to brainwash his mind into taking interest in supernatural rituals. The doctor also said he once saw a figure like Aladdin in their house. Reports from Indian media suggest that the group of scammers even managed to conjure up a genie from the lamp.
Aladdin is a famous charachter from an Arabian folklore. It was recently played by Mena Masoud in Disney’s live action film.
Victim Walking Right Into The Tactical Scam
Dr Khan was convinced by the lamp’s authenticity and wanted to take it for himself. Then the conmen acted like they refuse to give away lamp to make him further curious. Upon insistence from the doctor, they finally offered him lamp for 15 million INR (200,000 USD) which the doctor agreed but only paid half as a down payment.
Later when truth hit him, he realized that those men used genius level theatrics to convince him. He recalled that the Aladdin figure and genie figure were both disguises of other men involved in this con. It is also reported that the wife of one of these men was also involved.
Arrest And Punishment of Culprits
Police arrested the two men on Thursday (29 November) who pretended to be occultists but the woman was reportedly on the run. According to police, these men have also scammed other Indian families who are into rituals. They usually manage to collect several million rupees from their victims.
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