The devotees were made to pay Rs 3,000 for "quick darshan", while the stipulated process involves buying a Rs 200 donation 'darshan pass'
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Two persons were booked for allegedly cheating devotees at the renowned Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik district, a police official said on Sunday, reported news agency PTI.
The devotees were made to pay Rs 3,000 for "quick darshan", while the stipulated process involves buying a Rs 200 donation 'darshan pass', he said.
"The incident took place on Saturday with two devotees who had come from Panchvati. They had taken the Rs 200 pass but the accused told them their turn would come after 4-5 hours due to the long queue. The accused took Rs 3000 and ensured the devotees got darshan in 10 minutes," the official said, reported PTI.
Based on a complaint by the devotees, since they were not given receipts for the amount, Gotiram Manaji Peher and Abhishek Kadlag were booked under Bharatiya Naya Sanhita for cheating and other offences, the Trimbakeshwar police station official said, reported PTI.
Pehre has been arrested, while efforts are on to nab Kadlag, who is on the run, the official added, reported PTI.
The action was taken on the directions of principal district sessions judge RA Rokde, who had received such complaints about cheating of devotees in the name of quick darshan, the official said, reported PTI.
Devotees must contact police if they encounter such issues, he added.
82-year-old woman cheated of Rs 73.3 lakh in 'digital arrest' scam
In another case, an 82-year-old woman from Maharashtra's Thane district was allegedly duped of Rs 73.3 lakh in a "digital arrest" scam after fraudsters posing as law enforcement officials threatened to implicate her in a fake terror case, police said on Sunday, reported PTI.
The scammers allegedly intimidated the complainant, a resident of Kalyan, by claiming that her mobile phone number was linked to a Pakistani soldier involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, an official said, reported PTI.
He said that the accused coerced the woman into making massive bank transfers over four days to clear her name in the case.
The unidentified accused contacted the octogenarian from multiple mobile phone numbers between April 6 and 10, and she lodged a complaint with the Mahatma Phule Chowk police station on Friday after realising she had been duped, he said, reported PTI.
"Under the pretext of 'verifying' her bank transactions to clear her name from the alleged terror case, the accused coerced the complainant into carrying out multiple online money transfers," he said, reported PTI.
The complainant followed instructions sent to her on WhatsApp, transferring a total of Rs 73.3 lakh into various bank accounts provided by the scammers, the official said.
While the police have identified five local mobile phone numbers used in the crime, a probe is underway to ascertain the identities and addresses of the accused, he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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