'Glowing gem' con

  Foreigners caught red-headed in 'glowing' gem con By Zaihan Mohamed Yusof The New Paper | Wed, Feb 08, 2012 Singaporean Ravan Rai thought what he was seeing was a miracle. The tiny stone, known as a naga mani or cobra pearl, was glowing in the dark room. Just minutes ago, the amber-coloured stone, kept in a rectangular wooden box, looked nothing out of the ordinary. But when placed on a beach towel, it began to manifest its "mystical powers" - the intensity of its glow gradually increasing as the two foreigners began chanting louder in Hindi. That was the power of the naga mani, said one of two Indian nationals who had given Mr Rai a demonstration of the gem's mystical powers on Jan 19. Said Mr Rai, 29, at his shop in Pearl's Centre in Chinatown: "I was in awe because many believe that this rare stone can ward off evil and shower its owner with wealth. "I was almost convinced and willing to pay handsomely for the naga mani." But Mr Rai, who sells religious amulets at his shop, Phra Pirab Occult Specialist, refused to make a purchase that day because he believes Tuesdays are inauspicious days for major transactions. High price The men, from Karnataka in southern India, had allegedly demanded 500,000 rupees (about $12,600) for the gem. They were recommended by Mr Rai's father, who had met them at a Buddhist temple in Geylang Lorong 11. Said Mr Rai: "The price seemed like a lot, but I thought it was small compared to the benefits I stood to gain." He told the pair to return the next evening. But while excited at the prospect of owning the naga mani, he also had his doubts. So that night, Mr Rai went online to do some research. He learnt that many naga mani scams had taken place in India over the last five years. In one YouTube video, he saw a box where the naga mani stone was kept, and it was remarkably similar to the one the two men had. The next day, the two foreigners returned to the shop as agreed. But this time, Mr Rai had three friends present to witness the demonstration. Like before, the foreigners set conditions before they displayed the stone. The room had to be kept dark and quiet before the chanting began. No one was allowed to touch the stone in case he was hurt by the "energy" within the naga mani. The Singaporeans were also prevented from sitting near two edges of the beach towel "reserved" for the Indian nationals. "After a 15-minute demonstration, I had enough," said Mr Rai. "When the lights came on, I ordered the two men to move away from the towel." Their game was up. Cornered, the two men lost their confidence, said Mr Surinder Singh, one of Mr Rai's friends. Mr Singh, 33, said: "They were dumbfounded when Rai lifted the towel." Battery pack Hidden beneath the towel was a battery pack sealed with electrical tape. Attached to the pack was a dimmer. A well-hidden socket was stitched into the seam of the towel with a trail of wires leading to the centre of the towel where the naga mani had been placed. Directly below it was a tiny bulb partially hidden from view. While one of the fraudsters was chanting, the other skilfully operated the dimmer in the dark. The pair gave the impression that the stone was responding to their special prayers, said Mr Singh. He added: "Previously, they were pally with us, calling us 'brothers' and telling us we were doing the right thing. One of them even said he had special oil to cure my hair loss. "I was disappointed because Rai could have lost a huge sum of money over something worthless." Mr Rai was furious that he came so close to being cheated. He said: "I threatened to call the police. I later learnt that the stone was made of synthetic fibre worth just $2. "They begged us not to (call the police). One of them even got on his knees and touched my feet, begging for forgiveness." Mr Rai demanded to see their passports. He wanted answers. Who was their mastermind? How many have already been cheated the same way? Using a mobile phone, one of Mr Rai's friends recorded the scene as the men were questioned. In the meantime, Mr Rai made photocopies of their passports. The foreigners claimed they were sent to Singapore by a syndicate. If they did not agree to go along with the con job, their families would be harmed, they said. One man even produced photographs of his family to show the Singaporeans. Mr Singh, convinced that it was all another "show", encouraged Mr Rai to call the cops immediately. Mr Rai said: "I had to think hard. What if they were telling the truth for once? I didn't want to be responsible for any harm to their families in India." After two hours, Mr Rai agreed to let them go. But not after giving them a taste of their own medicine. Mr Rai cut off a lock of hair from both men's heads and threatened that evil spirits would haunt them if they continued to cheat honest people. The pair then left in a hurry. Mr Rai kept the rigged towel and worthless stone in his shop to remind himself not to fall for a scam. He did not lodge a police report, but The New Paper advised him to do so. Said Mr Rai: "I learnt a valuable lesson that night. Never be too eager to believe in the supernatural to improve one's quality of life. You can attain your own wealth simply by believing in yourself." This article was first published in The New Paper.