Hyderabad: Investigation by I-T officials has revealed that the gang consisting of Banapuram Laxman Rao, who declared Rs 9,800 crore and failed to pay the first instalment Rs 980 crore by November 30, and four others, were indulging in cheating people on the pretext of “rice pulling coin”.
During the course of investigation, Mr Laxman Rao informed I-T officials that he was lured by Shoukat Ali alias “Barkas Baba”. As Mr Laxman Rao’s luck in finance improved after taking a talisman and some remedies, he began completely believing in the tantrik.
As per the gang’s plan, the godman provides “rice pulling coins”. They are sold at amounts ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh apiece. As they failed in selling the coins, Mr Laxman Rao failed in paying the first instalment of tax in time. They hoped to sell the coins and urged I-T officials for more time.
Mr Laxman Rao filed IDS through I-T Hyderabad Range-14 which covers Ramanthapur, Tarnaka and LB Nagar. “He left Ramanthapur in 2012 and shifted to his own house in Filmnagar. But in the IDS he showed a flat in Yamuna Apartments in Ramanthapur as his address. To avoid interrogation, he mentioned the wrong address,” an I-T official said.
Laxman was in fake baba group
South Zone DCP V. Satyanarayana said the police had got complaints against the Barkas Baba earlier but did not take action due to lack of evidence.
“After a few incidents, we have been summoning fake babas in the Old City regularly and providing counselling sessions to not cheat the public. We have registered cases against a few babas. Besides this, we have taken up awareness programmes in colonies to protect public from the traps of fake babas,” he said.
Mr Satyanarayana said that most of the babas were arrested over charges of rice pulling coins and cheating.
Another official from the Task Force wing said that the rice pulling coin or kalash is fake. “There is no such coin. Such cheating has been recorded in the city since 2006,” the official said.
