A Kerala history sheeter who had been stealing money and gold from devotees on the promise of conducting rituals for them – black magic according to the police – was nabbed by Kuzhalmannam police in Palakkad on Monday.
Fifty-year-old Sivan, a resident of Nayarambalam at Kochi’s Vypeen Island, was nabbed by the police who pretended to approach him for conducting rituals for them. He was also known as ‘Koodothram Sivan’, where ‘Koodothram’ means black magic, police said.
According to officials, Sivan had been introducing himself an ascetic temple priest, and had a history of finding his victims – devotees – at temples.
“In the present complaint we got, he met the family from Chithali in Palakkad district while they were on a pilgrimage at Palani temple in Tamil Nadu. He became close with the family, befriended them by saying that he used to conduct pujas in the famous Guruvayur temple in Thrissur. He then made them believe that he can conduct certain rituals for them to solve their family troubles,” Kuzhalmannam Sub-Inspector A Anoop told TNM.
The family called Sivan to their house in Chithali to conduct rituals for them. “He managed to get Rs 10,000 from the family to perform the puja. Apart from that, Sivan asked the lady of the house to give him all of her jewellery so that he can cover it in a ‘kizhi’ (a small cloth sack) and do more rituals and ultimately bury it in their courtyard. He made the family believe that by doing so, they will get new jobs, and it will solve all their family issues,” said the police officer.
But Sivan, who left with the 2.5 sovereigns of gold, did not came back. The family then registered a complaint with the police.
Investigators caught Sivan by approaching him over phone as potential ‘clients’, saying that they needed him to do a ritual for them in Palakkad. “He believed us, and we arrested him when he came to Palakkad on Monday,” the police officer said.
Sivan has been charged with sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code. Sivan has similar cases against him in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts.
According to police, the accused has cheated many persons similarly in the past. However, only few had filed complaints as they were worried about being ridiculed.
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