A man was supposed to have tried a well-known wife jeweller with cash and jewellery valued at about Rs 1,75 crore during a shockful incident from Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh, police said Monday.
The man, Mahendra Rode, alias Yogi Priyavrat Animesh, reportedly represented himself as a sadhu. Later on Sunday evening, Rishikesh DSP Chandra Dhaundiyal said, he was arrested from Cottage No 21 Nature Villa in Lal Tappar area.
He also said that gold and silver jewellery worth almost Rs 10 lakh have been restored from his possession. The conman was recently released by Uttarakhand’s CEO, Pushkar Singh Dhami, with his book ‘Manas Moti,’ said the police.
After he is taken, he is questioned The arrest came after a case was filed against him based on a complaint filed by Hitendra Panwar, a well-known jeweller in Rishikesh, who accused Animesh of defrauding his wife of cash and jewellery worth approximately Rs 1.75 crore, according to the DSP.
According to the complaint, the jeweller’s wife was mentally unstable and fell victim to the imposter’s scheme because she required treatment.
The high-profile cheat had a habit of getting himself photographed with influential people, including politicians, and then posting the photos on Facebook to show off his contacts.
He used to move around in the guise of a sadhu, looking for easy targets and robbing them of their money, according to police. In Haryana, Animesh is lodged in several cases in Karnal.
The official said that he was sent to jail twice in the past for various cases. The DSP said that efforts are under way to recover his ransacking cash and jewellery.
