“The men have also cheated other families using the same modus operandi. Khan stated that he later realised the “genie” was actually just one of the men in disguise. The doctor reportedly met the priest “who seemed to perform such rituals”.īut during one of his visits when Khan asked if he could touch the genie or take the lamp home, they refused, saying it might cause him harm, the complaint stated.Įventually, they sold the lamp to him, promising it would bring health, wealth and good fortune. They started brainwashing me and asked me to meet this baba,” Khan was quoted as saying in his complaint. “Gradually they started telling me about a ‘baba’ (priest) whom they claimed also visited their home. Khan told news outlet that he met the men while treating a woman he thought was their mother. In his complaint filed last Sunday, Khan said one of the men pretended to be an occultist and made a “jinn” – a supernatural figure – appear from the lamp, local media reported. “The wife of one of these men was also involved in the fraud. He said the men were arrested on Thursday and were remanded in custody ahead of charges being filed. “The cheats had struck a deal for much more but the doctor had paid about seven million rupees ($93,000),” Amit Rai, a senior officer told the AFP news agency.

Police in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state have arrested two men who allegedly duped a doctor into buying an “Aladdin’s lamp” for $93,000 that they promised would bring wealth and good fortune.ĭr Laeek Khan approached police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh after he realised the lamp did not have any magical powers, as described in the popular folk tale about Aladdin and his wish-granting genie that appears when it is rubbed.

Man rubbing genie lamp aladdin