Bengaluru, October 17 – A 49-year-old man, Dada Peer, was arrested by Hulimavu police for allegedly cheating people using fake rituals involving black magic and hidden treasure claims. Police recovered 485.4 grams of stolen gold ornaments, valued at around Rs53 lakh, from his possession.
According to authorities, Peer, a native of Kolar, operated under multiple aliases and convinced victims to hand over their gold jewelry for rituals to “remove black magic” or “retrieve hidden treasures” (nidhi). After gaining their trust, he would vanish with the valuables.
The case came to light on September 26, when police received a tip-off about a suspicious person near Bannerghatta Main Road. Officers detained Peer and found gold ornaments on him. When questioned, he confessed that they were stolen, and he was looking for buyers.
A formal theft case was registered at Hulimavu Police Station.
Further interrogation revealed that Peer had recently committed a similar fraud in Bhadravathi, Shivamogga district, Karnataka. Police also discovered that:
Part of the stolen gold was hidden at his Kolar residence.
The rest was pledged at jewelry shops in Nagpur and BTM Layout, Bengaluru.
Investigations are ongoing, and police are trying to trace all victims and recover the remaining ornaments.
