Hyderabad woman allegedly loses 20 tolas of gold in ritual fraud

A 55-year-old woman from Tukkuguda was allegedly cheated of 20 tolas of gold after being promised that rituals could cure her daughter’s health problems. The accused allegedly replaced the gold with fake jewellery and fled. Police detained the tenant

Hyderabad: A 55-year-old woman from Tukkuguda in Maheshwaram on the outskirts of Hyderabad was allegedly cheated of 20 tolas of gold by a woman who claimed she could cure her daughter’s health problems through rituals.

The complainant, Anasuya, was reportedly convinced by Lakshmi, a tenant in her house, that a woman could cure her daughter through mantras. The woman visited Anasuya’s house and told her to place the gold ornaments in a pit in the puja room for a few days as part of the ritual.

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Believing her, Anasuya handed over around 20 tolas of gold. The woman had a pit dug in front of the idols and brought a brass vessel. She allegedly put the real gold ornaments in her own bag and placed a bundle containing fake jewellery in the vessel before burying it.

She told Anasuya that she would return after 19 days and left. When she failed to return, the family recently dug up the pit and opened the bundle, only to find iron rings instead of the gold.

Realising they had been cheated, Anasuya lodged a complaint with Pahadishareef police on Tuesday. Police have reportedly taken Lakshmi into custody and are questioning her.