NEW DELHI – Two men who allegedly duped a doctor into buying an “Aladdin’s lamp” for seven million rupees (RM386,230) – and even conjured up a fake genie – have been arrested in India, said an official today.
Laeek Khan approached police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh after he realised that the lamp did not have magical powers as described in the popular folk tale about Aladdin and his wish-granting genie that appears when it is rubbed.
“The cheats had struck a deal for much more, but the doctor paid about seven million rupees,” senior officer Amit Rai told AFP.
He said the men were arrested on Thursday and remanded in custody ahead of charges being filed.
“The wife of one of these men was also involved in the fraud. She is on the run.”
In his complaint filed last Sunday, Khan said one of the men pretended to be an occultist and made a “jinn” – a supernatural figure – appear from the lamp, local media reported.
But when Khan asked if he could touch the genie or take the lamp home, they refused, saying it might cause him harm, stated the complaint.
Eventually, they sold the lamp to him, promising it would bring health, wealth and good fortune.
Khan said he later realised that the genie was actually one of the men in disguise.
“The men have also cheated other families using the same modus operandi. The total amount of money involved runs into several million rupees,” said Rai. – AFP, November 1, 2020
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