Vadodara: Kapurai police arrested three men on Thursday for allegedly attempting to sell a ‘magical stone’ for Rs 20 crore by claiming it possessed supernatural powers and could protect its owner from all forms of harm.The accused — Vijaysinh Gohil, 57, Mehboob Pathan and Akramsha Khokhar, all residents of Bhavnagar — were arrested following a complaint by Yogesh Pandya, a Vadodara-based astrologer who claimed he was lured into the deal through elaborate demonstrations designed to convince him of the stone’s mystical powers.According to the FIR, Pandya came to know about the purportedly magical ‘Sulemani’ stone about two months ago through his driver. He was told that Gohil possessed a rare black-coloured stone capable of shielding its owner from physical harm.To bolster the claim, Gohil allegedly sent Pandya a video showing a man holding the stone while being slashed on the hand with a blade and struck on the head with a knife without suffering any visible injury or bleeding. Impressed by the demonstration, Pandya began believing in the stone’s alleged powers.A few days ago, Pandya informed Gohil that a prospective buyer was interested in purchasing the stone. Acting on the invitation, Gohil arrived in Vadodara on June 8 and checked into a hotel, where he met Pandya and the prospective buyer, identified as Jagdish.Police said Gohil then staged a live demonstration to convince the buyer. He allegedly placed the stone in Jagdish’s hand before slashing his hand with a blade and striking him with a knife. Since Jagdish did not suffer any visible injury, he appeared convinced and asked about the price of the stone.Gohil allegedly quoted a staggering Rs 20 crore for the artefact.However, the deal began to unravel the following day when Jagdish sought another demonstration. This time, Gohil allegedly insisted on seeing proof of funds before proceeding further. The demand raised suspicions, prompting Jagdish to leave the meeting.Pandya, too, decided to withdraw from the transaction. According to the complaint, Gohil then allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 from him before allowing him to leave the hotel.Sensing foul play, Pandya and a friend left the hotel on the pretext of arranging the money and instead approached Kapurai police.Based on the complaint, police registered a case and arrested the three accused. Investigators are now probing whether the suspects have targeted others using similar claims and whether they were part of a larger fraud racket involving so-called mystical objects.
