CHENNAI: Two men from Rajasthan, who allegedly posed as Siddha practitioners from Mumbai and swindled a Chennai man of Rs 75,000 by promising a fake cure for joint pain, were arrested by the police.
Mohammed Imran Singh Wala (36) and Mohammed Islam (42) have been allegedly targeting people from north India residing in the city, said the police.
Their scam came to light after Ashish (35) of Ayanavaram, who runs an electronics shop in Royapettah, filed a complaint. His father, Motilal Soni, suffers from a severe knee joint ailment that affects his mobility. On August 8, the father and son were approached by a man named Vikas outside a Jain temple in Royapettah. He claimed to know expert Siddha doctors who could provide effective treatment and gave a contact number.
Ashish spoke with the individuals, who introduced themselves as Jariwala and Rohan. They claimed to be Siddha doctors who had come from Mumbai. On August 10, they visited Ashish's home. They placed a cup on Motilal’s knee and pretended to suck out a clay-like substance that they spat. Though suspicious, Ashish remained hopeful for his father's recovery and did not question them.
The "doctors" then demanded Rs 1.6 lakh for 32 such sessions, at Rs 5,000 per session. After negotiation, Ashish paid them Rs 75,000. But even after 10 days of the ‘treatment’, there was no improvement in Soni's condition. That is when he realised that he had been duped.
His suspicions were confirmed when a friend, Praveen, reported a similar encounter where an unknown person had given him a phone number for "joint pain treatment". Through Praveen, Ashish contacted the scammers again and lured them to a meeting on Thursday afternoon. After confirming they were the same men, Ashish and others apprehended them and handed them over to the police.
During interrogation, police discovered the accused used Multani Mitti (Fuller's Earth), pretending it was suctioned from the patient's body. An investigation is under way to determine how many others have fallen victim to this scam.