UP: ‘Supernatural baba’ duped people, claimed to cure cancer; on the run

Lucknow: A man claiming to be a ‘supernatural baba’ and a reincarnation of goddess Kali allegedly cheated thousands of people in the state. The fake godman identified as Mukesh Nonia hailing from Bihar claimed to be able to cure incurable diseases, as reported by the Hindustan Times.

A case has been registered by the police under the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act among other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, the accused has been absconding since and could not be found even when the Police went to his native village Kaimur district of Bihar looking for him, reported the Hindustan Times.

A police team led by sub-inspector Sufiyan Khan, station house officer of Sujabad police station in Varanasi district raided Nonia’s house and pasted a lookout notice on the entrance of his house so that people could identify him and inform the authorities.

Sub-inspector Khan said that Nonia had organised a ‘healing darbar’ at night in a temple outside Domri village near Varanasi when an altercation took place better Mukesh was organising a healing darbar in the night at a temple outside Domari village near Varanasi when an altercation took place between him and the temple priest Ram Bharos over the distribution of the money they had collected, as reported by the Hindustan Times.

The ‘healing darbar’ was attended by about three to four thousand people. On receiving information about the altercation the Police reached the spot and registered a case. According to police sources several people from Bihar, UP, and MP used to attend the healing darbars and gave money to the baba for performing black magic on them in order to cure their illnesses.

Both Ram and Nonia fled the spot before the police could arrive, reported the Hindustan Times.

According to ex-Mukhiya Anil Singh and some other villagers, Nonia was a fraud and used to cheat people and extort money with his false claims. Nonia used to earlier work as a labourer in Andhra Pradesh. Two years back he returned to his native village donning a red saree, bright red lipstick, and vermillion and claimed that he had acquired the powers of goddess Shitala (a form of goddess Kali) after 18 years of penance. He also claimed the goddess gave him powers to heal incurable diseases like cancer, infertility and others, reported the Hindustan Times.

Nonia then organised a darbar near Kali temple where hundreds of people, mostly women, arrived from nearby districts to get rid themselves of diseases and the ill effects of supernatural powers. A clash also took place between villagers and his supporters in which several people got injured and a police case was filed at Chainpur police station, reported the Hindustan Times.