# Religious impersonation gold fraud incidents

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/religious-impersonation-gold-fraud-incidents
> Updated: 2026-09-14T04:25:19.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2.

Reports indicate a pattern of fraudulent activities where individuals impersonate religious figures to steal gold jewelry through ritual-based deception.

In Sri Lanka, a 54-year-old man posing as a shrine priest was arrested for allegedly defrauding property owners of gold worth approximately 20 million rupees. The suspect targeted women advertising property, claiming divine powers could facilitate sales. He reportedly used rituals involving placing jewelry in covered pots to facilitate the theft. Authorities recovered over 40 sovereigns of gold and arrested an accomplice.

In India, police arrested an individual for a similar scheme in Morena, where he posed as a Sufi saint. The suspect allegedly convinced victims to place gold jewelry in a pot for a ritual, then used substances to cause the victims to lose consciousness so the jewelry could be replaced with pebbles. The stolen items were identified after the suspect was caught attempting to sell gold.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-14: Morena police arrest man for 6 lakh rupee gold fraud

Morena police arrested Sameer Pathan for a 2022 fraud where he posed as a Sufi saint to steal six lakh rupees worth of gold jewelry from two women.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/morena-police-arrest-man-for-6-lakh-rupee-gold-fraud

### 2026-09-11: Priest impersonator arrested in 20 million rupee gold scam

A man posing as a priest was arrested for a 20 million rupee scam, using fake rituals to steal gold jewelry from women attempting to sell property.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/priest-impersonator-arrested-in-20-million-rupee-gold-scam

---
Cite as: Religious impersonation gold fraud incidents. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/religious-impersonation-gold-fraud-incidents