Two fraudsters held in Jammu; Rs 16.5 lakhs recovered

Two alleged fraudsters were arrested on Friday for looting Rs 20 lakh from a man on the pretext of selling black turmeric having spiritual powers here, police said.

Suresh Kumar and Ashish Langer were arrested along with Rs 16.5 lakh following registration of a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code on the complaint of Nikhil Prasher of Kathua district, a police official said.

He said the complaint was registered at police station Kahna Chak and the accused were arrested by a special team after strenuous efforts.

The modus operandi of the accused was to induce the customer to purchase 'Kaali Haldhi' (black turmeric) after convincing them that the material has a spiritual value.

“They used to call the prospective buyers to a deserted place and snatch the money before fleeing the spot,” the official said, adding further investigation in the case is in progress.