However, she didn’t know she was about to walk into a trap that police claim was meant for people like the 22-year-old: desperate people looking for solutions to their love, family and financial troubles. Within the next three days, the woman lost Rs 2 lakh.

Nearly a month later, on May 20, when the Delhi Police finally cracked the case, there was another surprise — the alleged kingpin of this scam, Moulana ji, wasn’t even a Moulana. Acting on a complaint by the woman, the police arrested two people, Ganesh and Mandeep Singh, from a flat in Kharar in Punjab’s Mohali district who were allegedly swindling people by posing as spiritual healers.

According to the police, the suspects, both originally from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, would pretend to be aides of the fictitious faith healer “Anwar Ali-Moulana ji”, provide fake videos of “rituals” and “hawans”, and entice people into paying for them — small sums initially before the demands escalated. The scam was also allegedly run across multiple states.

“The investigation revealed that the duo had been running the network for the past two to three years. During interrogation, they admitted to cheating multiple people across India,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir said.

He continued: “We also recovered chats with nearly 2,000 individuals from states including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. At least 30 people appear to have transferred money to them”.

For victims like the 22-year-old, the fallout is personal. “She’s traumatised because she lost all her savings. She didn’t tell her parents anything. Only her brother knows,” a police officer involved in the investigation said. “She was hospitalised for a few days after she realised that she had been cheated. She still hopes to get the money back.”

Another officer added: “The two men understood that people generally held peer babas in high regard. We have also seen that regardless of their own religion, many believe that peer babas have great healing powers, and the 22-year-old was no different.”

What happened that day

It began on April 23. The 22-year-old woman was casually scrolling through Instagram when she came across a page that featured a lit candle as its display picture, along with a mobile number. It was called ‘All Problem Solved’.

“Hello,” the 22-year-old wrote to the mobile number she found on that page. “Mujhe aapka number Instagram se mila… kya aap meri help kar sakte hain? [I got your number off Instagram. Can you help me?]”

Pat came the response. “Ji boliye, kya problem hai? [Yes, tell me. What’s your problem?]” the ping, seemingly from a woman, said.

According to the police, this chat played a significant role in convincing the victim. The “woman” handling the profile convinced the 22-year-old that “Moulana ji” was a powerful faith healer who had miraculously resolved her own problems.

In the next few minutes, the victim received a WhatsApp audio call from the healer. He was an elderly man who introduced himself as “Anwar Ali Moulana ji”. During the conversation, which lasted five minutes, he repeatedly referred to her as “beta” and pretended to take down notes. In the same conversation, he also allegedly asked for a photograph of her right palm and sought Rs 2,500 for a “hawan” ritual because “tumhara shani bhari hain [your stars are misaligned]”.

“Eager to find a resolution to her problems, the 22-year-old didn’t ask questions, such as why a Muslim man would perform hawan puja, a Hindu ritual,” one police officer said. “She believed him because the person on the line told her that the ritual would be conducted near a burial ground.”

Over the next few hours, she was allegedly shown a 3-second video of a “hawan” near what appeared to be a cremation ground. Investigators later found the same video being circulated to multiple people.

“Whenever the victim initiated a chat thereafter, the accused would begin the conversation with ‘Assalam Walekum’ [a misspelt version of the Arabic greeting, As-salamu alaykum],” the officer said. “All of this was an elaborate ruse to convince the victim that rituals were being conducted.”

Soon, the demand for money allegedly grew – the victim was asked to pay puja charges, solution fees, ritual expenses and problem-removal charges. As a result, she allegedly sent Rs 2 lakh in four separate instalments, with the suspects sharing multiple QR codes and bank account details for the transfers.

“After taking the initial Rs 2,500, the accused called again saying something had gone wrong and another hawan was needed. The victim was repeatedly told that negative forces were ‘stronger than expected’ and that more money was needed to redo the process,” one officer said.

“At one point, she was even allegedly convinced to pay Rs 71,000 twice, with the promise that the money for the unsuccessful attempt would be returned. She was also asked to send more photographs of her palms,” the officer said.

It was only when the calls stopped and the text messages dried up that the 22-year-old realised something was wrong.

“They stopped answering her calls and messages. She also tried to contact them through Instagram, but even that didn’t work. After repeatedly trying to connect with them for two days, she realised she had been duped,” the officer said.

The unravelling

On May 2, the woman approached the Delhi Police’s cybercrime helpline 1930, triggering a probe. The WhatsApp number and Instagram account details provided in the complaint led investigators, led by Inspector Yograj Dalal, Sub-Inspector Gaurav Singh and Head Constable Kranti Kumar, to the two suspects, Ganesh and Mandeep Singh, who were arrested from a rented flat in Kharar in Mohali, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir told The Indian Express.

While Ganesh is stated to be pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree through distance education, Singh is a graduate with a diploma in diesel engine mechanics.

“The two had told their families that they were working while continuing their studies in Mohali, near Chandigarh,” another officer said.

Investigators say the duo created numerous social media accounts under women’s names and used them to comment on the Instagram page. Once a potential target contacted them after seeing the fake testimonials, one of the two suspects would assume the role of “Moulana ji”, encouraging victims to share intimate details about their lives.

“Many victims were persuaded to share highly personal information, believing they were consulting a genuine spiritual advisor,” a police officer said.

The money thus secured would allegedly be transferred into waiting mule accounts. Last week, police arrested two more people — 24-year-old Amarnath and 22-year-old Deepanshu — for allegedly facilitating the fund transfers by “arranging bank accounts belonging to economically vulnerable people”. One more suspect is currently on the run.

“The demand would start as low as Rs 1,000 and increase depending on the victim’s capacity,” Rajbir said. “Many reportedly paid amounts ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,000 and never filed complaints,” he said.

Police seized five smartphones that are currently being examined as part of the ongoing investigation. They are also approaching other victims, they said.