That's what the fake doctor told his unsuspecting patients, claiming that it will cure their ailments; cops say that he is part of a larger gang

Rs 75,000 for a litre 'cure-all' coconut oil

That's what the fake doctor told his unsuspecting patients, claiming that it will cure their ailments; cops say that he is part of a larger gang

u00a0 RX: The prescription-cum-bill that mentions the ingredients,with their
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Police said that the arrested person is part of a bigger gang. The gang has cheated over 200 people across the state over the last two years, and have evaded arrest nine times. Though Santosh, the kingpin, managed to escape. After his arrest, more than 20 people have approached the police, saying that they were cheated in a similar manner.

The gang, from north Karnataka has been in the city for past 10 months. The trick to not get caught was to shift base after a few attempts.

Since January till the time they were caught, they changed their location five times. Each member of the gang had his work cut out for him --namely agents, doctors, and convincers.u00a0

Modus Operandi
Five, of the 10 member gang would act as agents. The agents would visit temples in the area, and look for people with uncommon diseases, and people who have been struggling for a long time. They would befriend them, gain their confidence, and finally ask them their problem.

The agent would start his spiel, and tell them that they knew good doctors, who would cure their ailment for cheap, using herbal medicines.

If the person agreed, they would give them a telephone number, and take down their addresses. The following day, a 'doctor' would visit them, and after examining the patient, ask him or her to accompany them to a medical shop.

Once at the medical shop, the doctor would make them buy coconut oil, and ask the shop owner for some specific medicines. Then, the doctor would proceed to mix the coconut oil with the medicine, and declare that the medicine was ready, and that the patient must pay.

To their shock, the amount would be anywhere between Rs 50,000 and 75,000. Naturally, the patients would balk at the amount, and refuse. But then other gang members would surround them, and start demanding money.

In some cases, they even asked for cheque leaves, or forcibly took them. But often, they would emotionally blackmail the victim as well. Most victims just went back home, and forgot about the incident. There were a few who filed complaints, but the accused would be out on bail within a day or two.

Shankarayya, a victim from Hanumantanagar, said, "They had threatened to kill my family if I told that they cheated me of Rs 55,000, so I kept mum."

Lokeshwar, PI, Upparpet, said, "We have arrested a man named Venkatesh who is connected with this gang, and we are looking for Santosh. It is a big fraud and nearly 20 people have approached us."

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