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Superstition, exploitation & trafficking, Dhan Varsha gang did it all
Probe into the Dhan Varsha gang reveals abuse of women for rituals, leading to 15 arrests and uncovering a wider criminal network in UP.
As probe picks up into the Dhan Varsha (wealth rain) gang, tales of abuse and sexual exploitation of young women have come to the fore.
The targeted women had to be preferably over 18, unmarried, taller than 5 feet 5 inches, and free of scars, burns, tattoos, surgical history, or animal bites— deemed to possess ‘special qualities’ for wealth-generating rituals, according to the police.
In this sequence, the police arrested a librarian at a private university from Mathura, Dashrath Singh Sisodia, the 15th accused of the human trafficking racket, on Friday.
The gang employed a coded language to orchestrate their crimes: Article Code: Victims, dehumanised as “tomato,” “TT,” “article,” or “item,” were selected for their perceived mystical attributes; Media Code: Scouts who roamed villages, enticing impoverished families with tales of a “rainfall of money” — a sham tantric practice promising instant riches; Guru Code: Leaders, dubbed “guru” or “artisan” (code-named DR), who demanded victims, conducted ‘tests’, and perpetrated assaults in locked rooms, rewarding “media” members for their efforts, the police said.
According to the police, the exploitation began with brokers peddling dreams of prosperity to desperate households. Girls underwent a rigorous 20-point evaluation—height measured on video, physical traits catalogued—before being greenlit for the ritual. Transported to isolated locations, they were stripped naked, fed spiked Prasad (offering) to render them unconscious, and sexually assaulted by the Guru, under the guise of ritual necessity. Staged videos, including one showing a nude girl beside cartons of currency notes, were used to perpetuate the illusion of success, luring more families into the trap.
The gang, which operated a sophisticated criminal network across Uttar Pradesh and beyond, was busted last week, leading to the arrest of 14 members and the seizure of mobile phones, occult materials, a rare turtle, and weapons.
“Families were told that the ritual would take just one day, and they’d become millionaires,” said additional superintendent of police (ASP) Anukriti Sharma, leading the investigation. Yet, the promised wealth never materialised. When rituals failed, the gang deflected blame onto the girls, citing fabricated discrepancies in their 20-point forms. “Not a single ritual was ever successful,” police quoted gang members as admitting, though their belief in the occult—and their appetite for exploitation—remained unshaken.
One audio clip revealed a guru discussing sex with a girl as a ritual requirement, with a broker agreeing, “She’ll do everything if the rain of money is assured.” The gang’s leaders, including a railway station master, a Patanjali store owner, and a postgraduate, masqueraded as mystical authorities, wielding their power to assault and deceive. “Besides photographs and profiles of over 200 young women, multiple videos of exploitation have surfaced. The arrested accused confessed to the crime which they believe was occult practice,” ASP Sharma underscored.
The probe was sparked on March 21 by Rajpal, a resident of Bamanpuri village in Sambhal’s Dhanari area, who narrowly escaped becoming a sacrificial victim. Lured by villagers Lakhan and Rinku on March 11 under the pretext of aiding his mother’s back pain, Rajpal—targeted for his breech birth—was taken to Agra, bound, and nearly killed in a ritual. His screams drew local attention, forcing the gang to flee and allowing him to escape.
While Rajpal’s ordeal exposed the gang’s sacrificial bent, it was their systematic targeting of young girls that defined their criminal core.
A broader criminal web
Operating for 7-8 years across districts like Agra and Firozabad, the gang’s reach extended to wildlife trafficking, dealing in rare species like two-headed snakes, multi-legged turtles, and owls—used in rituals and sold for profit.
“We recovered a rare turtle, occult items, and weapons,” said ASP. Mobile phones seized from the accused, including librarian Dashrath Singh Sisodia, contained videos of exploited girls trafficked to Delhi and Jaipur, alongside footage of trafficked animals.
Unravelling the network
Sisodia’s arrest hinted at a wider conspiracy, with links to Delhi and occult practitioners in Jaipur. Rare coins and customs receipts found in his possession raised suspicions of smuggling ties. On March 27, police arrested 14 members, including station master Raghuveer, whose phone held objectionable photos of 42 girls.
With 15 accused now in custody, the investigation is expanding to identify more victims and accomplices.
“It is a criminal nexus aimed at fraud and exploitation of the poor. There is no kingpin. The operations of the nexus are spread in several districts of UP and neighbouring states. A detailed probe is underway. Financial trail of the nexus is also being examined,” said superintendent of police Krishan Kumar Bishnoi.
