Daijiworld Media Network – Dehradun

Dehradun, Sep 8: In a major crackdown against fraudsters posing as godmen, the Uttarakhand Police have arrested 14 people so far under the state government’s ‘Operation Kalanemi’, aimed at curbing cheating and religious conversions. Some of those arrested include Bangladeshi nationals living with fake identities, police said.

Inspector General of Police (Crime & Law and Order) Nilesh Anand Bharane told reporters that since the launch of the operation in July, over 5,500 people have been questioned across the state, with preventive action taken against 1,182 individuals.

In Haridwar alone, 2,704 people were checked and three arrests were made, while in Dehradun, 922 were checked and five arrested. Similar drives are underway in Tehri, Pauri, Almora, Nainital and other districts.

The IGP cited two recent cases: a Bangladeshi citizen, who lived in Selaqui for eight years as a Bengali doctor under the name Amit Kumar using forged documents, and Ifraz Ahmed Lolu from Anantnag, Kashmir, who allegedly posed as a Delhi-based businessman “Raj Ahuja” to exploit women.

Bharane said the campaign is meant to protect the “sacred image of Devbhoomi (Land of the Gods)” from such fraudulent activities.

‘Operation Kalanemi’ draws its name from the demon Kalanemi of the Ramayana, who disguised himself as a sadhu to mislead Lord Hanuman during his quest for the ‘Sanjeevani Booti’.