In a significant crackdown on ritual-based fraud, Mandal Police arrested Chandrakantbhai Kantibhai Panchal, a self-proclaimed tantrik, for conning multiple victims by conducting fake religious rituals and illegally pawning their gold jewellery.
Panchal, originally from Kamalpur village in Patan and residing in Gota, Ahmedabad, posed as a spiritual healer. Known locally as a Bhuwaji, he promised to resolve personal and family problems through ritual offerings. Victims were asked to deposit gold ornaments, supposedly to be sealed and returned after 21 days.
Instead, Panchal replaced the ornaments with fakes, pawning the real ones at Muthoot Finance (Gota) and Ambika Jewellers (Chandlodia).
The arrest came after a complaint was lodged at Mandal Police Station on May 19. An investigation led by Police Inspector V. R. Desai exposed Panchal’s operations, resulting in the recovery process of the stolen gold worth Rs89,000 from the Mandal case alone.
During interrogation, Panchal confessed to similar scams in Sola High Court Police Station (Rs13 lakh fraud) and Ghatlodia Police Station (Rs15 lakh fraud) jurisdictions. Authorities suspect more victims may surface.
Citizens are urged to avoid private rituals involving valuables and report any similar incidents to the police.
