Elderly woman duped of mangalsutra

Indore: A 60-year-old woman was duped by a gang after they gained her trust with religious talk and a fake ritual.The woman, Padmavati Chauhan, was returning from a temple when a man stopped her and asked for an address. When she could not help, he asked for water. Soon another man joined and said he would drink water only from her hands as she was "lucky".They started talking about her life and problems, asking questions and then repeating her answers to make it seem like they knew everything. They called another man and made him walk 81 steps, claiming he had divine darshan.They then asked her to do the same. She followed their instructions and chanted Om 11 times. The men then told her problems were linked to the mangalsutra she was wearing and asked her to place it in a pooja vessel as part of a ritual.She was then told to walk ahead without looking back. While she moved away, two more men came on a motorcycle, took the vessel and fled. When she returned, she realised she had been cheated.Police have registered a case and are checking CCTV footage to trace the accused. Officials have asked people to stay alert and not trust strangers making such claims.