Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Two held on duping charge

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The court has remanded to judicial custody for 15 days a self-styled astrologer and his companion arrested by the Kazhakoottam police from Nedumangad on the basis of complaints from a section of their victims.

The police gave their names as Surendran (52), son of Govindan of Panavur, and Kumar (37), son of Sathyanesan of Pangappara.

The immediate reason for their arrest was the alleged fooling of the people of the Kushamuttam Kulathoor area, which falls under the Kazhakoottam Police Station limits, by Surendran over the theft of two panchaloha idols worth around Rs.5 lakhs from the local Bhagavathy Temple some time ago. He had after pujas and homams declared that the idols were in the temple pond itself. The local people thereupon had the pond drained but could not find the idols. He, however, continued the pujas, reportedly to locate the alternative site in which the idols could be. By the time the people smelt something fishy, he had absconded.

The people complained to the police and they spread their net for him.

The police said that their inquiries showed that Surendran was working as a cook in the CRPF before turning to astrology and soothsaying. He had also been passing himself off as a CBI official, staff of the VSSC and member of the Human Rights Commission. The police said that once the word of their arrest got around, more people were coming forward with complaints against them.

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