A village of 'hypnotising fraudsters' who dupe people with magnet, bowl

DEHRADUN: Thandanala until recently was a nondescript and sleepy village in Gularbhoj area of US Nagar district of Uttarakhand. Suddenly, this settlement of around 100 families gained notoriety for its 'hypnotising fraudsters', who would go out to various states and dupe people on the pretext of finding hidden treasure in their houses.
The fraudsters are known to hypnotise their victims by using bowls, magnets and ball-bearing instruments.
Thandanala village came under the scanner after a joint police team from Gurugram and US Nagar arrested two men on Saturday for stealing valuables from an elderly woman in Gurugram about a fortnight ago. Moreover, several other villagers are wanted for similar offences in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and UP, said police sources.
Conmen posed as seers, promised hidden treasures
US Nagar SSP Manikant Mishra told TOI that the village was flagged by the state home department two months ago, following which he started gathering information about it. "The home department recently shared a news report about a fraud and theft in Gurugram by a village resident. We then started gathering information, it came to light that people from the Qalandar community, who traditionally used to perform with trained wild animals such as bears and monkeys, started settling here in the 60s," he said.
"Later, after the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act came into force, they lost their livelihood and started duping people," said Mishra.
Giving details about the fraudsters's MO, Mishra said they would often venture out to other states in groups of five-six to cheat people and steal their belongings.
"In one of the methods employed by them, one of the fraudsters, dressed as a seer, would first target an unsuspecting stranger. After stopping the man, the fake seer would claim that there is a hidden treasure in his house. To make the target believe him, another gang member wearing decent clothes and pretending to be rich would appear to seek blessings of the 'seer' and thank him for finding hidden treasure in his house. If the target falls in their trap, he would invite the fake seer to his house. After reaching the man's house, the fake seer, using magnets and bowl, would hypnotise the man and decamp with all his valuables," said Mishra.
Another police officer in US Nagar privy to the matter said, "We have been contacted by cops of at least five other states, claiming that similar frauds were committed under their jurisdiction."