Three Arrested for Cheating Elderly Man of ₹39.30 Lakh Using ‘Tantrik’ Treasure Scam

New Delhi: Promising to uncover a hidden ancestral gold treasure, staging fake occult rituals and displaying a genuine gold coin to gain trust, three alleged fraudsters duped a 79-year-old man of nearly ₹39.30 lakh and reportedly stole gold jewellery worth another ₹15 lakh from his home.

The Shahdara district police’s Special Staff has arrested three accused, including a man who allegedly posed as a tantrik (occult practitioner). According to police, the accused allegedly collected ₹39,30,588 from the elderly man through cash payments and UPI transactions. They are also accused of drugging him and stealing gold jewellery worth approximately ₹15 lakh from a cupboard in his house.

Shahdara Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajendra Prasad Meena said the investigation into FIR No. 622/2026, registered at Seemapuri police station, was handed over to the district’s Special Staff.

The complainant, Girijesh Singh, 79, alleged that Shoaib Ali and Mahakadar Khan, along with a man who introduced himself as ‘Krishna Pandit’, lured him with promises of recovering ancestral gold.

Fake occult rituals used to execute the alleged fraud

According to the complaint, the accused allegedly staged an occult ritual at the elderly man’s home on the night of August 4, 2026. They reportedly used steel containers filled with soil and fake gold bricks to make the ritual appear genuine.

During the incident, the elderly man was allegedly given a drug that caused him to lose consciousness. When he regained consciousness, he discovered that gold jewellery worth around ₹15 lakh was missing from his cupboard.

Police are investigating the sequence of events and the alleged roles of the accused.

Main accused allegedly concealed his identity

Using technical surveillance and other leads, police traced the alleged mastermind to Amba Vihar in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. He was identified as Tahseen, alias Krishna Sharma, alias Krishna Pandit, 48.

According to police, Tahseen allegedly used the identity of Krishna Sharma to pose as a tantrik named Krishna Pandit.

Further investigation led to the arrests of Shoaib Ali, 40, a resident of Mayur Vihar, Dasna, Uttar Pradesh, and Mahakadar Khan, 48, a resident of Dabagaram, Salboni, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal. The two allegedly introduced the elderly man to the main accused.

Cash, Scorpio-N and identity documents recovered

Police said they recovered ₹2.73 lakh in cash, a black Mahindra Scorpio-N, 11 rings, clothes allegedly used during occult rituals, two Aadhaar cards, a PAN card, an ATM card and two mobile phones from the accused.

One of the recovered Aadhaar cards was reportedly in Tahseen’s name, while the other bore the name Krishna Sharma. Police are examining the recovered items and documents as part of the investigation.

Special Staff team conducts operation

Given the seriousness of the case, the Shahdara district Special Staff launched an operation under the leadership of Inspector Ashish Kumar, in-charge of the unit.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police Pawan Kumar (Operations) and the overall oversight of DCP Rajendra Prasad Meena. The team worked to establish the identities of the accused and trace their locations.

The team included Sub-Inspector Manvendra Chaudhary, the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Rajkumar, Head Constable Kapil Kumar, Woman Head Constable Mithilesh, and Constables Subhash and Sachin Kumar.

Investigation into money trail underway

Police are now examining the alleged proceeds of the fraud, the beneficiaries of transactions across various bank accounts, and the individual roles of each accused. Investigators are also checking whether anyone else was involved in the alleged crime.

Police have urged the public to remain cautious of people claiming they can make others wealthy through hidden treasures, miracles or occult practices. Residents have been advised to report any suspicious activity to the police immediately.