Woman held for duping trader of ₹67 lakh by promising ‘divine ritual’ to extract gold from ground

The Viramgam Town Police on Wednesday arrested a 26-year-old woman from Godhra in Panchmahal district for allegedly cheating a local trader of gold, silver, and cash worth ₹67.21 lakh by convincing him that she could extract hidden gold from beneath his shop through tantric rituals, and threatening him with divine wrath if the process was interrupted.

Police said the complainant, Dineshbhai Jayantibhai Seth, a Jain trader from Sarvodaya Society of Viramgam, alleged that between October 2024 and April 3, 2025, the accused, identified as Komalben Jaipalsinh Ranjitsinh Rathod of Jitpura, Godhra, gained his family’s trust by claiming she could perform religious ceremonies to unearth buried gold and protect their business from 'spiritual pressure'.

According to the complaint, Komalben conducted rituals inside a closed room of the trader’s house, placed gold and silver ornaments in a ceremonial setup, then locked the room, warning the family not to open it without her permission. She allegedly threatened that failing to complete the ritual would anger the deity (goddess), leading to death and severe loss.

Under the pretext of offering the ornaments to the deity, she is accused of taking family jewellery worth ₹44.71 lakh and also collecting ₹22.5 lakh in cash and additional gold and silver ornaments through various pretexts, intermediaries, and relatives, amounting to a total of ₹67.21 lakh.

Police officials described the case as a “serious property offence involving coercion and religious manipulation”. The arrest came after a detailed investigation of Viramgam Town Police, with the team travelling to Godhra to apprehend the accused at 3.30 pm on August 6.

Authorities are now probing whether other accomplices were involved and who masterminded the operation. The police have also secured a remand for Komalben until August 11 to recover the stolen gold, silver, and cash, and to establish the full extent of the conspiracy.

“This was a well-orchestrated deception in which the accused exploited religious beliefs for personal gain,” a senior official said.

Police said further details will be disclosed as the investigation progresses.