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Mohammed Umar Ashrafi, who posed as a spiritual healer with a direct line to Sai Baba, was on Wednesday found guilty of fraud and blackmail, and sentenced to nine years in jail after a widely-followed trial hailed by rationalists in Britain.
It is the first case of its kind involving a ‘faith healer’ who conned vulnerable people in the Indian and Asian communities of more than a million pounds. Ashrafi, 50, who also called himself ‘Kamal-ji’, operated mainly in Leicester, London and Canada.
The Leicester Crown Court found Ashrafi, an Indian citizen, guilty of 15 counts of fraud and one count of blackmail.
Sachdev Virdee, general secretary of the Birmingham-based Asian Rationalist Society of Britain, told HT that the judgement was a welcome advancement in its efforts to raise awareness of the fraudulent ways in which such ‘babas’ operate among the vulnerable.
“But it is a tip of the iceberg. There are many more such ‘babas’ who operate, conning many people of their savings after promising them lottery wins, love, better health or luck”, Virdee said.
Serial Indian conman guru jailed in UK
This is in GD section and nsjould not offend any other baba fans. "Baba" is a generalized designation.
It is the first case of its kind involving a ‘faith healer’ who conned vulnerable people in the Indian and Asian communities of more than a million pounds. Ashrafi, 50, who also called himself ‘Kamal-ji’, operated mainly in Leicester, London and Canada.
The Leicester Crown Court found Ashrafi, an Indian citizen, guilty of 15 counts of fraud and one count of blackmail.
Sachdev Virdee, general secretary of the Birmingham-based Asian Rationalist Society of Britain, told HT that the judgement was a welcome advancement in its efforts to raise awareness of the fraudulent ways in which such ‘babas’ operate among the vulnerable.
“But it is a tip of the iceberg. There are many more such ‘babas’ who operate, conning many people of their savings after promising them lottery wins, love, better health or luck”, Virdee said.
Serial Indian conman guru jailed in UK
This is in GD section and nsjould not offend any other baba fans. "Baba" is a generalized designation.
