In Gir Somnath, Altaf and Musa from Talala deceived Hindu devotees by promising them immense wealth through fraudulent quasi-tantric rituals, ultimately swindling them out of lakhs of rupees.
According to reports, Altaf Musa, a resident of Panikotha village in Talala, befriended Harishbhai Sadhu from Rajkot approximately two years ago. During this interaction, Altaf noticed Harishbhai dressed in saffron attire, prompting him to inquire if Harishbhai was operating an ashram.
In response, Harishbhai expressed his financial limitations in running an ashram. Taking advantage of this situation, Altaf gained Harishbhai’s trust and made false claims that his father, Moosa Bapu, had received a divine vision from a goddess. Allegedly, Altaf promised to accumulate a staggering sum of Rs 500 crores through tantric rituals.
Upon further investigation into the fraudulent activities of Altaf and Musa from Talala, shocking details have emerged. It has been revealed that the father-son duo, accompanied by their associates, lured Harishbhai, a member of the sadhu community, to their garden. Under the cover of darkness, Altaf’s father, Abu Musa, constructed a makeshift structure resembling a sacred kunda. The victim was coerced to sit inside it while Altaf chanted mantras, claiming to unveil the presence of ‘Mataji’ (Goddess – a divine entity). To substantiate the authenticity of this nighttime ritual, Altaf adorned a long bamboo pole with clothing, resembling the form of an eight-foot-tall Mataji, complete with a helmet and black attire. The complainant was then positioned before this fabricated deity, as part of an elaborate scheme to deceive him into believing that he would be blessed with a vast fortune of 500 crores.
Subsequently, upon the manifestation of Mataji, Musa, standing in the guise of the deity, conveyed to Altaf that the individual adorned in saffron attire required financial assistance. Curiously, right after Musa made this statement, Altaf mysteriously vanished from the scene. Witnessing the apparent divine intervention, the victims began to trust Altaf’s persona and Musa, assuming the role of an intermediary, instructed the victims to procure worship materials worth Rs 5 lakh as an offering to please Mataji.
In order to fulfil this demand, the complainant borrowed money from relatives and handed it over to Musa. Once again, Musa performed the ritual in the presence of Mataji, just as he did it before. However, this time, Altaf, donning the guise of Mataji, announced that the money given was to be considered a donation, while the remaining 500 crores would be granted during subsequent ceremonies.
Subsequently, Musa accompanied Harishbhai to a room and carefully inspected it, ensuring that it appeared completely empty. Once Harishbhai had left the room, Musa seized the opportunity and accessed a pre-existing hidden tunnel within the room that led to the market. There, Musa retrieved the money belonging to Harishbhai, while adding a small sum of his own. Returning to the room, Musa handed the altered amount back to Harishbhai, deceitfully suggesting that the remaining 500 crores could be acquired by performing rituals at Harishbhai’s own residence.
When Harishbhai went home and called Musa at the appointed time and called him to perform the rituals at home, the vial of ‘miracle oil’ was empty from the material that Musa had brought earlier. After which he told the complainant, “When you went back, a ghost has drunk this oil on the way and it will be five and a half lakh rupees to order it again.”
Upon returning home, Harishbhai contacted Musa as scheduled, requesting him to perform the rituals at his residence. However, when Harishbhai examined the materials provided by Musa, he discovered that the vial of ‘miracle oil’ Musa had brought earlier was empty. Musa, in response, informed the complainant, “During your journey back, a malevolent spirit consumed the entire contents of the oil, and it will cost five and a half lakh rupees to procure it again.”
Following the aforementioned incident, Musa summoned the complainant once again, this time to his garden, where the apparition of Mataji reappeared, resembling their previous encounters. However, in this instance, Altaf assumed the role of Mataji and made a peculiar request for a ‘virgin girl’s skull’ to be used in the final phase of the ceremony. Altaf further demanded a sum of Rs 3 lakh to acquire the skull of a virgin girl. Strangely enough, the individual who had previously provided the empty oil bottle also presented the requested skull. Musa then performed a ritual by sprinkling water on the skull, inciting its power, and expressed readiness to visit the complainant’s house to carry out the remaining rituals.
According to sources, Musa and Altaf, accompanied by the victim, embarked on a car journey towards the victim’s residence to perform the anticipated ritual. However, upon reaching the designated location, the police officers, disguised as the victim’s relatives, were waiting in a police van. They swiftly boarded the vehicle and initiated a thorough search, discovering the skull and other ritual-related items. As they proceeded to arrest Altaf and Musa on charges of murder and other crimes, Musa contacted the complainant, only to abruptly terminate the conversation after expressing the so-called Mataji’s anger, claiming that no further rituals would take place. By that time, the group had allegedly swindled Rs 15 lakh from the complainant.
As per an official press release from the police, it has been revealed that Musa Haji Sama had been involved in a long-standing fraudulent scheme, deceiving people under the guise of conducting rituals for several years. Prior to this incident, Musa had previously defrauded his acquaintances of substantial amounts of money by falsely claiming to possess a non-poisonous snake and promising a gold snake as an offering in the name of a deity. These fraudulent activities were carried out using a similar modus operandi by invoking the presence of ‘Mataji’.
The police were taken aback by the revelations made by Musa during their interrogation. Musa confessed to all the crimes he had committed thus far, divulging that he had perpetrated various fraudulent acts. One such incident involved duping a person residing in Kuvadwa, Rajkot, by snatching Rs 25 lakh in cash and a 110-gram gold idol of a naga, while deceitfully promising to rain down a sum of Rs 700 crore upon them. Additionally, Musa had previously swindled another individual in Rajkot by taking a 35-lakh idol of Nag weighing 320 grams, under the guise of performing a ritual that would result in amassing 2500 crores.
Musa’s trail of deceit and fraud extends further, with numerous victims falling prey to his schemes. Among those affected was an Ahmedabad-based couple who were swindled out of 7.50 lakh in cash under the pretext of accumulating a staggering sum of Rs 600 crore. Additionally, Musa targeted the sarpanch of a village in Ahmedabad district, absconding with 11 lakhs in cash and a 110-gram Nag idol. He also deceived Yusuf from Veraval, causing a loss of 11 lakhs, and managed to extract 4 lakhs from two individuals in Bamangir. The list of individuals who suffered financial losses due to Musa’s fraudulent activities is thus unending.
The police have taken legal action in this matter and have filed a case against Musa Hazi Sama, his son Altaf Musa Sama, Sagarita Sikander Shamdar, Abdul alias Vakil, Abdul Ismail Majgul, Imtiaz Sama, Nazim Rafai, Jagdish, Deepak, and Vajesang. These individuals have been charged under sections 406, 419, 420, and 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to offences such as criminal breach of trust, cheating, and criminal conspiracy.
Following the exposure of this incident, the police issued a public message urging vigilance. They highlighted that even educated individuals can fall victim to deceitful tantric and may hesitate to approach the authorities. In light of this, the police encouraged victims to come forward fearlessly and lodge complaints, while also discouraging the promotion of superstitions perpetuated by such individuals.
