GUJRAT – Fraudsters and sham faith healers invent new ways every day to trick simple people, who are now even paying to buy virtues.
The recent incident occurred in Gujrat, a northeastern Punjab region that lies north of the Chenab River, where a man comes under the police radar as he finds a new trick to make money or bring new followers into his fold.
Under the guise of selling virtues, the man mints money by asking people to pay Rs10 for 100,000 virtues. One crore virtues come at the price of Rs100 and the price for one billion virtues increases accordingly.
People are aware that crookedness exists in every profession, and these faith healers find new ways to get their hands into people’s pockets. The man identified as Zulfiqar Ali also used to give receipts to people who paid him for virtues.
After the news spread, police lodged a case under the Punjab Vagrancy Ordinance 1958 and recovered a receipt book and cash from the accused.
The situation is a bit unusual and requires legislation that deals with people who receive alms at public places; expose a sore, wound, injury, deformity or disease at a public place for the purpose of soliciting or receiving alms or allow themselves to be used as exhibits for soliciting or receiving alms.
