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NEW DELHI (AFP) – Two men who allegedly tricked a doctor into buying an “Aladdin lamp” for 7 million rupees (S $ 128,000), and even conjured up a fake genie, were arrested in India, an official said. Sunday (Nov. 1).
Laeek Khan made a report to police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh after realizing that the lamp had no magical power, as described in the popular tale about Aladdin and his wish-granting genie that appears when rubbing the lamp.
“The cheaters had settled for much more, but the doctor had paid around seven million rupees,” Amit Rai, a senior official, told AFP.
He said the men were arrested Thursday and placed in pre-trial detention before charges were filed.
“The wife of one of these men was also involved in the fraud. She is on the run,” Rai added.
In his complaint filed last Sunday, Khan said one of the men pretended to be an occultist and caused a “genius,” a supernatural figure, to appear from the lamp, local media reported.
But when Khan asked if he could touch the genie or take the lamp home, they refused, saying it could cause him harm, according to the complaint.
In the end they sold him the lamp, promising that it would bring health, wealth, and good fortune.
Khan stated that he later realized that the “genie” was actually just one of the men in disguise.
“Men have also scammed other families using the same modus operandi. The total amount of money involved is several million rupees,” Rai said.
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