Rs 48 lakh kidney damage case: Quack's associate arrested in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The Jnanabharathi police have arrested the associate of a self-styled ayurvedic healer accused of cheating a techie of Rs 48 lakh by giving him so-called medicines that caused kidney damage, police officials said on Wednesday.

The arrested person is Manoj Singh Chitodiya, 29, a close associate of the prime suspect, Vijay Pradhan Chitodiya alias Vijay Guruji, 42. Both are residents of Maharashtra, but originally from Gujarat, the police said.

Police said the suspects changed their location every 15 to 30 days in the city and set up roadside tents to advertise so-called natural and ayurvedic treatments for sexual health and wellness.

"The suspects claim to be medical practitioners. It is false. We appeal to the public not to be trapped by such quacks,” said Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh.

Last week, the police announced the arrest of Vijay Guruji from Mehabubnagar, Telangana. During interrogation, he confessed to involvement in the offence and revealed the identity of another accomplice.

Vijay forced the techie to buy herbal concoctions, including 'Devaraj Booti' and 'Devaraj Rasabooti', at exorbitant prices. The FIR registered on November 22 stated the victim purchased these concoctions for a total of Rs 48 lakh. The techie later discovered his kidneys had been damaged.

Manoj Singh was subsequently arrested in Chavallnagar, Cyberabad, Telangana. He also confessed to receiving money and cheating the complainant, the police said.

"During interrogation, both accused revealed that they had put up tents along roadsides in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other parts of the country, cheating people by offering low-quality medicines for their health problems," the city police said in a statement.

During the investigation, police recovered 17 types of so-called ayurvedic medicines, Rs 19.50 lakh cash and impounded a tempo traveller used in the offence. "The seized goods have been sent for forensic examination. Further probe is underway," an official said.