Police in Leicestershire, one of the county with large Indian population in the UK, have issued leaflets in Punjabi, Gujarati and English over the weekend cautioning people against bogus faith healers who promise luck, lucre and love for money.
Leicester has a large Indian origin population which police believe is targeted by faith healers, most of whom, the police said, “are tricksters and conmen who are linked to organised criminal networks”.
Source: Leicestershire Police
Their “services” are usually offered through flyers, local radio and adverts, the leaflet said.
The leaflets were circulated on social media account of city’s Belgrave and Rushey Mead area, which is predominantly inhabited by people of Indian origin.
“These individuals prey on people when they are at their most vulnerable – people who are under great strain due to unfortunate life circumstances…They are believed to operate nationwide and to move location across the country,” the leaflet says.
Several people in Leicester have fallen victim to these bogus babas over the years. One man who went by the name Kamalji was sentenced to nine years in jail and in 2016, his prison term was extended by five more years for failing to pay back £613,500 conned from his victims.
The leaflet says: “They offer their services to people who may have business problems, marital disputes or are in poor health. They will advertise their services through local and national radio, newspaper adverts and flyers which are delivered door to door.
“They will claim that money given to them will be returned to their victims many times over and threaten those who do not pay with curses and black magic. If anyone is aware of anyone claiming to be a faith healer, we would like to hear from you.”
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