U.P.: Four conmen posing as sadhus bashed up, held in Lucknow village

Lucknow deputy commissioner of police, South, Tej Swaroop Singh said the fraudsters had been identified as Akash, Akshay, Sagar and Amit Kumar

Four conmen involved in duping people while roaming around in rural areas posing as ‘Sadhus’ (seers) were arrested on Saturday when a group of villagers caught them in a village under Gosaiganj police station limits on the outskirts of Lucknow, said senior police officials. The villagers even thrashed the fraudsters before informing the police, they added.

Those arrested are residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district. (For Representation)

Lucknow deputy commissioner of police (DCP), South, Tej Swaroop Singh said the fraudsters had been identified as Akash, Akshay, Sagar and Amit Kumar, all aged between 20 and 25 years and residents of Meerut. He said the fraudsters dressed up as ‘sadhus’ would loiter around in a car in rural areas.

“They used to target shopkeepers or pedestrians by impressing them with their magic tricks. They used the same trick on one Prem Raj, who had grains shop in Mahurakala village of Gosaiganj, on Friday. They visited his shop and gave him some sedative after impressing him with their magic tricks and fled with cash and some belongings from the shop,” said another police official.

“People of adjoining Ganga Kheda village were aware of the Friday incident. So they caught them as they spotted them in their village,” the cop added. He said the Lucknow police are in touch with Meerut police to get more details about their criminal antecedents.