Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): A group of 40 devotees from Tamil Nadu were duped by a fraudster in the name of helping them to offer prayers at Mata Vishalakshmi temple in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, police said on Thursday
The fraudster allegedly collected mobile phones and smartwatches from the devotees since these were not allowed inside the temple premises and then absconded from the spot. Based on a complaint lodged at Gyanvapi control room, a case has been registered and search is on for the man, who was captured in the CCTV footage of the spot, police said.
The incident took place when the group of devotees went to visit Kashi Vishwanath and Mata Vishalakshi temples on Wednesday. The devotees complained a man posing as a tourist guide offered to help them visit the two temples. After visiting Kashi Vishwanath temple, he took them for a darshan of Vishalakshmi temple via Lahori Tola.
Upon reaching the temple premises, the devotees were asked to hand over their valuables to the fraudster, who wrapped those in an orange towel. He asked the devotees to offer their puja before the deities while he would wait for them outside the temple.
Thereafter, the devotees kept 17 mobiles, smartwatches and other valuable items in the fraudster's custody instead of depositing those in the locker. The man had told them that he would hand over the item to them when they returned after darshan. However, when group returned, neither the man nor their items were found anywhere.
They immediately complained to the nearest police station and a search was launched. The man who posed as guide was captured in a CCTV footage of the spot. He was seen wearing a cap and carrying an orange towel in his hand. The Gyanvapi control room is taking the help of the local police to gather information about him.
Inspector Vimal Mishra said that investigations are on and several teams have been deployed to search for the accused.
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