Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2 crore: How ‘occult’ ritual ended with 3 dead in a car in Delhi

His family identified the second victim — it was his employee, Shiv Naresh Singh (47).

Further probe revealed that the woman was Laxmi Devi (40). She knew Shiv Naresh through a mutual friend. She worked as a patient attendant and lived alone in Jahangirpuri.

Investigators then examined CCTV footage from the area, which showed an elderly man accompanying the trio in the car. He was later seen getting out with a pink packet and walking towards Burari before taking an autorickshaw.

Police examined the victims’ mobile phones and call detail records for more clues. “We found that the trio were in constant touch with a person from Loni. The calls were linked to the same number,” a police officer said.

That number led investigators to 70-year-old Kamruddin, a self-styled occultist from Loni, Ghaziabad.

Police alleged that Kamruddin had lured the three with a promise that he could turn Rs 2 lakh into Rs 2 crore through an occult ritual called ‘Dhanvarsha’ (raining money). They arrested him.

Poisoned sweet

Police believe Laxmi introduced Shiv to Kamruddin.

Laxmi’s family had earlier said she was in touch with a ‘godman’. “Her second husband was sick and she thought Baba could help. She told Shiv about Baba,” an officer said.
Shiv, in turn, introduced Randhir to Kamruddin.

The accused allegedly told them to bring Rs 2 lakh in cash, liquor and cold drinks for the ritual.

A meeting was subsequently fixed for February 8 and the trio travelled in Randhir’s car to Kamruddin’s Loni home.

According to investigators, Kamruddin told them to remain outside the house while he came to collect the money. But, police alleged, he had already set another plan in motion.

According to the chargesheet filed in May, Kamruddin bought besan laddoos and allegedly mixed crushed sleeping pills and poisonous substances, including tablets described by police as “sulpha”.

The lane in Loni, Ghaziabad, where the accused’s family lives. (Express Photo by Alok Singh)

He kept five laddoos in a polythene bag and carried them to the car, telling the three victims that these were part of the ritual.

He asked them to drive a short distance away from his house, where the ritual could be carried out. They headed towards Delhi.

Around noon, they stopped at Khajuri Chowk, where, allegedly at Kamruddin’s instruction, they consumed alcohol.

Police said they drank around two-three pegs each before continuing towards Signature Bridge, where they consumed more alcohol.

Once the three victims were heavily intoxicated, investigators alleged, Kamruddin instructed Randhir to stop the car near Peeragarhi on the Karnal bypass.

He gave them three poisoned ladoos and ate the other two, which were harmless.

The chargesheet alleged he made them drink to intensify the effects of the substances.

Kamruddin then allegedly collected the money from them and walked away, leaving them in the car.

When police reached his house, Kamruddin denied knowing the victims.

Investigators, however, confronted him with CCTV footage and other evidence and he broke down. The cash he had allegedly taken from the victims was found in a cupboard, investigators said.

Police said Kamruddin had previously been caught in another case because of mobile-phone evidence. “This time, he thought that if he did not use a phone this time, he would not be caught,” the officer said.

Investigators were also trying to understand who Kamruddin was and how he had come to be associated with occult practices.
Hakeem to self-styled godman

Police said the accused used to live in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad, where he posed as a hakeem and offered homemade remedies for common ailments such as stomach pain and headaches.

In 2010, he moved to Ghaziabad and allegedly became increasingly involved in occult practices.

“He was in touch with similar godmen who were involved in the Dhanvarsha ritual, which purportedly promised financial prosperity or solutions to personal problems. He learned it from them and started offering people similar schemes,” an officer probing the case said.

Investigators believe the promise of extraordinary financial returns helped him attract people who were willing to hand over large sums of money — like the three Delhi victims.

Police said Kamruddin had also made a structure resembling a dargah at his house and people from nearby villages and surrounding areas would visit him and offer money — sometimes Rs 500 or Rs 1,000.

Investigators, however, believe he was looking for wealthier clients from whom he could demand larger sums.

The ‘Baba’ everyone knew

Kamruddin’s house is located in Rashid Ali Gate, a densely populated part of Loni with a large Muslim population. After the congested residential area, the landscape gradually takes on a village-like appearance.

The road leading to his 65-square-yard house is largely broken, with several stretches either badly damaged or never properly constructed. Narrow lanes branch out into the neighbourhood, but there are few signs of proper civic infrastructure.

Accused Kamruddin. (Express Photo)

A few metres before Kamruddin’s house, two young men were chatting. When asked about him, one pointed towards the house and said, “Woh Kamruddin Baba.”

The other quickly added that he was the “famous Baba who killed a few people in Delhi”.

For his family, the case has brought isolation.

“After my father’s arrest, locals here do not support our family,” said his son, 50-year-old Shamiuddin, standing outside his small eatery selling chowmein and snacks in Loni.

“I have not met him since the day he was arrested. Except for my mother, none of our family members have gone to meet him.”
Kamruddin is lodged in Tihar Jail. His other sons live in Firozabad and work mostly as labourers.

Pattern of ‘killings’

The chargesheet also linked Kamruddin to earlier incidents in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, with the Delhi Police calling him a “serial poisoner”.

One case dates back to February 2014, when a woman named Anita went missing from Rajakhera village in Rajasthan’s Dholpur district. Her father, Munna Lal, filed a complaint.

Anita’s father and her husband, Narayan Singh, later found her body in bushes.

Investigators claimed that Anita and Narayan had approached Kamruddin because they were unable to conceive a child. Police said Kamruddin allegedly claimed that after invoking a “djinn”, Anita would not be able to conceive, and told Narayan to kill her — and he did.

Kamruddin was arrested in connection with the case and was subsequently released on bail.

In 2025, police said, two more people — Ram Nath and Puran — became victims of Kamruddin’s alleged fraud.

According to investigators, the two were fed sweets allegedly laced with poison. Their bodies were later found near an abandoned glass factory close to his home.

His family, meanwhile, said it has little understanding of the legal proceedings.

“My father didn’t study, neither did I or my four brothers. We don’t know how we will deal with this matter. He is our father, but if he has done anything wrong, he should get the harshest punishment,” Shamiuddin said.