A priest was arrested from West Bengal's Darjeeling for allegedly duping a woman from Nagaland's Dimapur by convincing her to buy a 'mystery box' worth Rs 3.5 crore that he said would bring her fortune, according to police.
Reverend Timothy Joshi, a pastor in New Life Church Ministry in Darjeeling's Kantibhita, has previously lured gullible believers into various types of frauds and scams, police informed. The victim was convinced by Joshi and his gang to buy the box under the pretext of bringing her fortune.
She deposited Rs 3.5 crore in various bank accounts provided by the clergyman in 2019 and 2020. However, it was later found that the 'mystery box' was an empty box made solely to deceive the victim.
Joshi was arrested by the Dimapur Police based on the complaint filed by the woman. The police found that the accused and his brother had been involved in several scams where the victims were mostly from northeastern states.
(with inputs from PTI)
