Jotangiya, 37, and five others were caught in possession of counterfeit currency notes with a face value of Rs 2.10 crore. Their SUV, which was flagged down and the six detained, had ‘Ayush Mantralay’ written on its licence plate. Jotangiya runs an ashram called Shree Satyam Yog Foundation on Surat’s outskirts.
The other detainees, who were later arrested, were identified as Mukesh Thummar, Ashok Mavani, Ramesh Balar, Divyesh Rana, and a woman, all of whom hail from Surat. The police also recovered fake notes, in the same Rs 500 denomination, totalling Rs 28 lakh from Thummar’s residence in Surat’s Sarthana.
Two more of their accomplices were subsequently arrested by Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch, and the ashram was also raided. While passing the order, Ahmedabad city civil and sessions court judge Jayeshkumar Ishwarlal Patel noted, “…The preliminary FSL report states that the seized notes were fake. The investigation in this case is not yet complete. It has been established that the present applicant (Pradeep Jotangiya) and others are directly involved in a racket to weaken the Indian economy… The chargesheet has not been filed, and under such circumstances, it is not appropriate to grant bail to the applicant/accused.”
Wanted money for ‘new ashram’
Jotangiya, now lodged at Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad, allegedly told the police that he was facing financial problems and did not have money to start another ashram, and on the advice of a disciple, he decided to start FICN (Fake Indian Currency Notes) printing and circulation, said the crime branch officials.
Deputy commissioner of police (Ahmedabad Crime Branch) Ajit Rajian, who is leading the investigation, said the court order would help in the investigation. “Many more individuals whose names have cropped up during the probe are to be arrested,” Rajian told The Indian Express on Tuesday.
“The accused had imported high-quality paper with a security thread worth Rs. 17.50 lakh through a Chinese e-commerce platform. The payment was made in cryptocurrency. The accused received a consignment of papers in the last week of February. After watching online videos on how to print fake notes, they bought software and started printing FICN of Rs 500 denomination in March. The accused individuals were selling “bundles of FICN” to agents in Surat and other parts of the state and reportedly charged 30 per cent of the total consignment value for them.
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Rajian said the raw materials and gadgets to make the fake notes were bought with Rs 30 lakh received in donations from disciples and the accused.
“All eight had invested their money… While half of the revenue generated from selling fake notes was to be kept aside for another ashram, the remaining amount would have been distributed among the eight,” said the officer.
The charges invoked against the accused are Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections178 (counterfeiting of coins, government stamps, and currency notes), 179(using as genuine the forged counterfeit notes), 180 (possession of counterfeit notes), 181 (making, buying, selling, or possession of instruments or materials intended for forging or counterfeiting coins, government stamps or currency notes) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy).
‘Watched YouTube to learn Ayurveda’
Jotangiya’s ashram is located in Dhoran Pardi, Kamrej taluka on the outskirts of Surat. Its large metal gates at the entrance are now shut for visitors. Inside is a large garden, where yoga sessions are held. The premises also house a two-storey house that Jotangiya uses as his private residence.
The woman, who is one of the five individuals arrested with Jotangiya, had become a close confidante of the latter over the past few years, said a police source.
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Originally from Rajkot, Jotangiya shifted to Surat in 2018 and found support from Nilesh Kumbhani, a politician who sought to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha general elections from Surat, but his nomination on a Congress ticket was rejected, making way for the BJP candidate to be declared the uncontested winner.
“Pradeep stayed in a rented flat in the Adajan area. He ran yoga classes in Rajkot with his brother and later came into contact with me and offered to teach yoga to the public for free. I offered my farmhouse in the Punagam area, where he ran classes for two years. He also delivered religious lectures, which attracted many people,” Kumbhani said.
According to Kumbhani, Jotangiya’s popularity grew after he began to “cure” people from their illnesses through Ayurveda and “claimed to have the power to heal people”.
“He would collect money from his followers, and keep a diary of regular attendees, who donated a minimum of Rs 500 every month in the name of Shree Satyam Foundation Trust,” said Kumbhani.
“Pradeep also collected lakhs of rupees from big shots, who attended his yoga classes, and used the money to buy 1.25 acres of land in Dhoran Pardi village in 2020,” said Kumbhani.
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Mahesh Vaghani, who was a part of the Hardik Patel-led Patidar quota agitation, said, “I was close to [Jotangiya] in the beginning when he came to Surat from Rajkot. We supported him, as he was working for the society, teaching yoga asanas… Later, he started prescribing Ayurvedic medicines and cured people from various illnesses. He regularly watched YouTube channels to learn about curing people with Ayurveda.”
Police sources said Jotangiya’s wife had been ‘missing’ for some time.
“I stopped letting him use my farmhouse as I realised he was playing with religious sentiments of people and was also delivering religious speeches,” added Kumbhani.
