A 53-year-old driver in Bengaluru fell victim to a bizarre con involving a man dressed as a sadhu, who used a mix of psychological manipulation and pressure tactics to steal a gold ring worth ₹70,000. The incident took place in broad daylight on April 19 outside a luxury hotel in Vasanth Nagar, according to The Times of India.
The driver, A V Venkatakrishnaiah, who works for a jewellery firm, had just dropped off his employer and was waiting in the car, engaged in a phone call. At that moment, a man clad in saffron robes approached, requesting water and claiming to be weary. Before the driver could respond, the impostor entered the vehicle and began a spiritual act to gain trust.
He handed over five rudraksha beads and requested four to be returned. Then, cutting a lock of his own hair, he told the driver to wrap it along with a bead in a piece of paper. When Venkatakrishnaiah later opened the packet, he found a rose inside instead. The fake sadhu proclaimed it a sign of divine favor and demanded the driver’s gold ring as an offering.
When the driver hesitated, the man raised his voice, smeared ash on both of their foreheads, and created a scene that left the victim too shaken to resist. Only after the man left did Venkatakrishnaiah realize he had been conned.
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