Claiming evil eye, gang cheats people, held

Recently, Rajakumaran from Tenkasi had lost Rs 2 lakh to a fake godman who promised to ward off the evil spirits. During investigation, officials checked the call record of the man and found out that he contacted a person in Velachery. When they called that number, they found that the gang was planning to cheat another family.

The gang members, Pappa (56) of Kasimedu, Suresh (34) of Kodungaiyur, another Suresh (34) of Arakkonam and Amarnath (21) of Madurai, were secured when they reached the house on Friday to conduct a remedial puja. However, the main accused, Yuvaraj, managed to escape.

Officials said the gang chose their targets after tracking the persons and their family for a while before approaching them in the guise of remedial puja. “Yuvaraj is the one who donned the godman attire, while others worked as his assistants,” said the police. All four were remanded while a hunt has been launched for Yuvaraj.