The scale of a series of high value frauds committed by a Hindi-speaking 'baba' named 'Kamal-ji' is coming to light in the town of Leicester, where the police are hunting for the man who has extorted hundreds of thousands of pounds from victims.
The Leicestershire police have released his image, while at least 15 victims have now approached the police with their tale of woe. The police said 'Kamal-ji' may have fled the country.
Using the false name and purporting to be a devotee of Sai Baba, he initially offered a healing and astrology service to assist with various issues including business success, marital matching, poor health and relationship issues.
One woman said he convinced her to pay £21,000. She took out bank loans to pay for his dubious services, she told local media.
She said, “I was feeling low at that time and I just wanted to find a way of making it better. I ended up giving him £21,000 as he said he needed to say prayers for me and needed to buy things.”
The police said they had spoken to 15 people, who handed over large sums of money to 'Kamal-ji' late last year and earlier this year. Another victim told the police £150,000 were paid to him, but some of it was recovered later.
{{/usCountry}}The police said they had spoken to 15 people, who handed over large sums of money to 'Kamal-ji' late last year and earlier this year. Another victim told the police £150,000 were paid to him, but some of it was recovered later.
{{/usCountry}}Detective Sergeant Mark Sinski said the so-called ‘spiritual healer’ advertised his services through radio and newspaper and on flyers which were delivered door to door.
'Kamal ji' is the latest person to have caught the attention of authorities as part of a multimillion pounds ‘baba industry’ that promises to deliver love, luck and lucre for a price.