By Zafar Abbas
New Delhi, March 21 (SocialNews.XYZ) Swindlers have been cheating people across the country for years on the pretext of selling a "Rice Pulling" rare metal, which, they claim is certified by agencies like ISRO, DRDO and NASA. The 'Rice Pulling' scam involves fraudsters marketing and selling a hypothetical 'Rice Puller' device allegedly made up of radioactive material that they claim possesses magical properties and attracts rice grains towards it. They say it is very expensive in the international market and is required in aeronautical science.
Usually, the targets are rich businessmen as the alleged Rice Puller device is sold on the pretext that it would fetch them crores of rupees after the DRDO or ISRO would buy these radioactive material as it is of great use to them in scientific process. This claim that is absolutely false is used to continue to dupe businessmen with a meticulously designed web of lies.
Recently the Crime Branch of Delhi police arrested three fraudsters who duped a businessman of Rs 11 lakh.
"The persons claimed that whenever the DRDO or ISRO would buy these radioactive materials, the client would get his share which would be in hundreds of crores," said Bhisham Singh, DCP Crime branch.
In 2019, a 34-year-old Bengaluru-based businessman was cheated by a group of people of Rs 3.5 crore on the pretext of testing "Rice Pulling" equipment, which they claimed agencies like NASA were interested in purchasing for astronomical sums.
In May 2018, a father-son duo who duped several people on the pretext of selling 'Naagmani' and a magic mirror were arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch when they tried to cheat a Delhi-based businessman of Rs 1.43 crore on the pretext of selling a hypothetical product called Rice Puller (RP) machine.
Some conmen also claim that the metal acquires these properties when lightning strikes it or that it falls on earth when lightning strikes, adding to its mystique. The Rice-Puller's price can vary from several lakhs to crores.
"The accused persons also send videos specially prepared by them showing some experiments and specific characteristics of the 'Rice Puller'", the officer added.
To win the trust of the victims, the accused also have Fake Deposit Certificates allegedly issued by the RBI for a sum amounting to several crores, fake Certificate of Anti-Terrorist Clearance - issued by the UN Anti-Terrorist Dept, fake certificate issued by the DRDO, fake Sub Agency License issued by the American Radium Society, fake laboratory report from the American Radium Society and fake Money Laundering Clearance Certificate. The cheats also have many fake agreements to sell it with different persons in respect of antique goods on Indian Non-Judicial Stamped Papers.
The police have time and again advised people not to fall prey to such scams and not to invest in any such attractive looking offer which is designed to cheat the potential targets.
(Zafar Abbas can be reached at zafar.a@ians.in )
Source: IANS
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