The Lahore Police's Dolphin Squad team has successfully apprehended two members of an inter-district fraudulent gang responsible for duping innocent citizens through a cunning combination of spiritual healing and deception.
The suspects, hailing from Faisalabad, had been operating across various cities, including Lahore, with their modus operandi that involved luring victims into entrusting their money, only to disappear without a trace.
The arrested individuals, identified as Mazhar and Umair, were taken into custody on Wednesday in Lahore's Factory Area. Their arrest has shed light on a disturbing trend that preys on people in vulnerable situations, promising to double their money through mystical means.
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The gang's sinister strategy involved targeting individuals in distress and gaining their trust. They would approach their victims, express sympathy, and offer to double their money through their purported spiritual powers.
Once a victim was ensnared in their web of deceit, they would instruct them to place their money and valuables on the ground, turn their backs, recite certain holy verses, and walk forward without looking back, all while under the guise that it was a necessary ritual to make the money multiplication happen. In reality, this was a ploy to facilitate their escape with the ill-gotten gains.
The latest incident that led to the gang's arrest occurred when three students on a motorcycle found themselves stranded on Walton Road, having run out of petrol while en route to deposit their fees. Seizing the opportunity, the suspects, who were in a car at a nearby roundabout, struck up a conversation with the students.
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One of the victims went to fetch petrol from a nearby pump while the other two engaged in conversation with the suspects. Sensing the students' distress, the fraudsters offered them a solution and requested that they place their valuables in front of them with their backs turned and start walking forward.
However, when a third student approached the scene, the suspects made the same request. This time, one of the students resisted, ignoring their demands. This provoked one of the suspects to make a chilling threat, claiming he could use his supposed spiritual powers to set the resistant student ablaze and turn him to ashes.
Undeterred by the threat, the courageous student stood his ground. In response, the suspects attempted to flee the scene by speeding away in their car, but the resilient student grabbed hold of the vehicle. One of the suspects even brandished a firearm in an attempt to intimidate him.
Fortunately, a vigilant Dolphin Squad team was nearby, and they swiftly intervened, arresting Mazhar and Umair. A third suspect managed to escape, but law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing his capture.
The arrested suspects have been handed over to the Factory Area police for further legal proceedings. The police are urging citizens to remain cautious and vigilant, especially when approached by individuals promising mystical solutions that seem too good to be true.
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