(S.R.Seshu)
Telugus are not talking about anything other than a hilarious crime in which a gullible Karodpati proved to be a big joker in his mad attempt to convert 1.3 crore rupees of hard currency into 2.6 crores with the help of mystical powers of a fake baba. Thankfully, the Hyderabad police arrested the Bangalore-based baba, who is already on police records for his trickery, within 24 hours after registering a case and recovered 1,19,50,000, a rice pulling ball, rice pulling agreement document, a laptop, a fake ID Proof ( Aadhar Card, Driving License, Pan Card) and two mobile phones.
Police found that as many as four Non-bailable Warrants are pending against him in Rajampeta PS of Cuddappah District, Nellore PS, Kummalaguda of Bangalore, Kukatpally Housing Board Police Station of Cyberabad.
The story goes like this:
The owner of the Life Style mall, G.Madhusudan Reddy, already a cash rich party in Hyderabad, summoned a 34-year-old Buddappagari Shiva to perform Lakshmi Puja in his palatial home in MLA Colony in the posh Banjara Hills on June 15, 2016. Shiva, made a name as Shivananda Babaji, performs Lakshmi Pooja that turns currency twofold. Shiva made a demo before the Reddy family members by converting 1.5 lakhs into 3 lakhs (by obviously fooling them). Later, he asked Reddy to place all available cash in the designated place in the Puja room.
To become richer within no time, Reddy, his wife and a young son placed as much as 1.3 crores in the puja room. The baba placed a book of Harry Potter along with the cash saying that Harry is the best mystical person. He also used a copper coin (of 1616!) saying that it plays a role in the conversion of the currency.
As the ‘double dhamaka’ puja is on, the baba gave them prasadam laced with some chemicals. As Reddy and his wife Vidyavati fell unconscious, baba managed to hoodwink his son Sandesh Reddy to take to heels with 1.3 crores. The poor couple are recovering in a hospital.
How the Life Style owner met him?
According to the police, about one and half year back Shiva came in contact with Madhusudhan Reddy through one Mohan Reddy of Kompally. One year ago, at Golf Club at Bangalore, the accused won the trust of Madhusudhan Reddy by doubling his amount of Rs.1 Lakh to Rs.2 Lakhs. Since then Madhusudan Reddy started believing the accused.
“The accused informed the victim that he has one rice pulling coin, a powerful one that can be sold off for one thousand crores and asked him to arrange a party to sell the coin. In this process, about four months back, the accused Shiva asked Madhusudhan Reddy for doing pooja in his house to make the amount doubled, for which the former consented,” police revealed.
The puja started at 11 am on June 15, in which the accused requested the victim to arrange Rs.1.5 Lakhs initially to make it double as a demo. On his request, the victim given Rs.1.5 Lakhs to him, where the accused diverted the attention of victim and made the amount doubled as he put his amount of Rs.1.5 Lakhs which he collected from his friends Damondar and Srinivas Reddy a day before.
Carried away by the demo, the victims brought Rs.1.3 crore and kept in front of Goddess for Pooja for getting it doubled. At about 2.45 hrs Pooja was completed and he informed the victim, his son and his wife that “the amount will become as 10 Crores” and given prasadam (which contains Datura & White Sesame seeds) to them. Then the accused along with son of Victim went to the nearer temple in the pretext of checking the security and returned to home. After 10 minutes the victim Madhusudhan Reddy and his wife became worried that the amount was not doubling. Then the accused convinced them that if they do Pooja of goddess at temple, they will get money multiplied immediately. Then the accused along with son of victim went out to the temple by taking an amount of Rs.1.3 crore.
Background of Babaji :
The accused Buddappagari Shiva, a native of Chittor District, migrated to Bangalore and tried various ways to earn a livelihood. He joined in one Shiva Sai Baba Ashramam in Bangalore as an electrical employee and shifted his base to “Kuruvoil Ayurvedi Ashramam” near Tirupathi where he came into contact with one Shanmugam who taught him about human body language and ayurvedic treatments. With the extra qualifications he acquired, he returned back to Shiva Sai Baba Ashramam, Bangalore.
While he was working in Shiva Sai Baba Ashramam, he learnt through one Ananthacharyulu “how to cheat the innocent people” through pooja and tricks to double the money. Later both joined together and started cheating the innocent people by doing false magic promising that cash will be doubled.
In the year 2009 the accused Shiva along with Ananthacharyulu went to Kukatpally Housing Board in Hyderabad and peformed Laxmi Pooja and committed theft of Rs.25,00,000. After few days, they both went to Kummalaguda area of Bangalore and performed Laxmi Pooja and committed theft of Rs.40,00,000. Later he along with another cheater namely Shaneshwar Baba went to Chamraj Nagar of Kolaigal(Tq), Karnataka and committed theft of Rs.10,00,000 by performing the same pooja.
He along with Ananthacharyulu were arrested by Kukatpally PS in 2009. They were also arrested in Kengeri PS & Chamraj Nagar PS of Bangalore.
Later he shifted to Tirupathi where he came into contact with one Jyothi and through her he came into contact with Navamohan Reddy and cheated him of Rs.70 Lakhs in the pretext of making the cash double by performing Pooja at Alipiri of Chittoor District. Later he went to Nellore and met with one Srinath Reddy promising Rice Puling object and after fifteen days he did Laxmi Pooja at his residence and committed theft of Rs.40 Lakhs in the above said manner. Later he went to Rajampeta, Cuddapah and cheated one innocent person of Rs.20 Lakhs in the same manner.
In the year 2014 he was arrested by Alipiri Police and was remanded Shiva, Damodar and Srinivas Reddy.
