A new case has been filed against the Swaminarayan sect in Vadtal, alleging a ₹1.76 crore fraud involving farmers and landowners in the name of building a temple. The accused reportedly solicited substantial investments to purchase land for both a temple and a cow shelter.

The CID Crime has charged four monks from the Swaminarayan sect, a farmer, and four others in connection with this scheme. According to the complaint, two individuals involved in land transactions in Ahmedabad conspired with the monks to defraud the complainant of ₹1.76 crore for the proposed temple and cow shelter in Limb village, Bayad.

The complainant, Dhanshyam Vaghela, along with his partner Dilip Patel, operates a land brokerage in Vadtal. In December 2023, they were approached by Suresh Thori and Lalji Dhola, who claimed to manage land deals in Surat. They informed Vaghela that the Swaminarayan sect needed between 500 to 700 acres of land for the temple and cow shelter but could not negotiate directly with farmers.

Subsequently, Vaghela met with monks Dev Prakash Swami, Madhavpriya Swami, Vijay Prakash Swami, and Jay Krishna Swami in Anand. They claimed to be disciples of Notam Swami and discussed plans for constructing a large temple in Limb village. Vaghela was promised ₹5 crore in return for purchasing the land, which they said would come from donations in Dubai.

Trusting the monks, Vaghela purchased land from Vijay Chauhan and Bhupendra Patel, paying ₹1.11 crore to the landowners. Thori and Dhola assured him that once he presented the land agreement to the monks, they would facilitate the transfer of ₹5 crore.

During this time, D P Swami and V P Swami conducted meetings with Vaghela, during which they paid him ₹21 lakh and secured the original land agreement. As Chauhan informed that as the pressure mounted from the farmers for payment, Vaghela sent Chauhan and Patel ₹40 lakh.

Vaghela even booked flight tickets for the monks and two brokers travelling from Surat to Dubai to collect more funds. However, after their return, Vaghela became suspicious when, on February 13, D P Swami, Lalji, and Suresh introduced him to two individuals who were purportedly donating ₹5 crore for the temple. The fact that these donors were Muslim raised concerns for Vaghela.

Later, the monks explained that 250 acres would be allocated for the temple and another 250 acres for the cow shelter. 

As doubts grew, Vaghela’s investigation revealed that Chauhan and Patel had not purchased any land from farmers and were colluding with the monks.

After uncovering the fraudulent scheme, Vaghela reported the matter to CID Crime, leading to the registration of a case against the accused, including four monks from the Vadtal Swaminarayan sect.

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