Delhi Man Duped by Fake Priest At Akshardham, Loses Valuables Worth Rs 1.8 Lakh : "I Was Made A Fool"

A man in Delhi has claimed that he was tricked by a fake priest near the Akshardham Temple and lost valuables worth around Rs 1.8 lakh, including a smartphone, a smartwatch, cash, and personal documents. He shared his experience in a post on Reddit to warn other visitors about the sophisticated nature of such scams, which often target first-time and solo visitors.

How it happened?

The man explained that he was approached by an older, gentle-mannered individual on a bus, who struck up a friendly conversation and gained his trust. The man, who seemed warm and talkative, offered to show him around, saying, "Beta, I've been out and about, I can show you everything." The "uncle" warned him the cloak room was unsafe, claiming he'd lost his wallet and phone there before.

He then called someone he trusted, and another man, dressed like a pujari, arrived and reassured him, saying, "Please don't worry at all, all your belongings will stay safe here." The older man's actions seemed convincing, and he even handed over his own phone and wallet, in an effort to gain his trust. The Reddit user handed over his phone, wallet, smartwatch, belt, shoes, and other belongings, believing they'd be safe. They went inside for darshan, with the "uncle" explaining temple details, making it seem like a genuine visit. 

"Then he told me he had a friend close to the temple who kept valuables safe. Before I could think properly he called someone. Within minutes a man arrived, he looked like a pujari from the temple only. He was smiling and very soft spoken too and told uncle is a regular visitor to the temple. He put tilak on my forehead and said aap bilkul chinta mat kariye, sab safe rahega idhar and then the uncle handed over his own phone and wallet right in front of me, which honestly killed any remaining doubt I had. So I also gave my phone, wallet, smartwatch, belt, shoes... pretty much everything except clothes as per the rules the temple follows. We went inside and the darshan was genuinely beautiful," he explained in the post. 

See the post here:

I was made a fool & Robbed at Akshardham Temple and lost over 1.8 lac rupees..Don't Let This Happen to You
byu/Acrobatic-Health2681 indelhi

After exiting the temple, the "uncle" fed him a ladoo, urging him to wait while he supposedly went to "deposit some money." Minutes later, the man vanished, followed by the disappearance of the fake pujari. That's when he realised that he got scammed and that everything was planned. 

The lost items included a Samsung S24 Ultra phone, an ultrawatch, a wallet containing Rs 8,000 in cash, two credit cards, a debit card, PAN card, and driving license, with the total value estimated at Rs 1.8 lakh.

The victim filed a police complaint and was informed that these types of organised scams are common around major religious sites. The police are currently investigating the matter.

The man urged others to be extremely cautious and use only official cloakrooms for their belongings, no matter how trustworthy a stranger might appear. "I'm sharing this because people think scammers will look suspicious or act shady. But this uncle was very patient, gentle, convincing. Just slowly, and carefully built his trust and manipulated me into believing him. If you ever visit Akshardham or any large temple, please be very careful. Don't hand your belongings to anyone really, I think the cloak room is the safest.. no matter how trustworthy they seem," he added.