SC Suspends Sentence Of Convict In Tribal Occult Money-Doubling Fraud Case
The case dates back to 2018, when the convict duped a Rajasthan-based businessman of Rs 70 lakh under pretext of doubling money through tribal occult.
By Sumit Saxena
Published : October 15, 2025 at 7:48 PM IST
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has suspended the sentence of a gang leader, who was convicted for duping a person with the false promise of doubling his money through a tribal occult.
A bench comprising justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh, in an order passed on October 14, said: “Considering the totality of circumstances and also the fact that the appellant has suffered an incarceration for a period of 16 months, we are inclined to suspend the sentence imposed by the trial court and grant bail to the appellant on such terms and conditions as may be fixed by the trial court, pending consideration of the appeal before the high court”.
The bench directed to comply with the order. The appellant shall be produced before the trial court and hearing on the appeal, pending before the Rajasthan High Court, should be expedited, it stated.
The bench made it clear that the appellant should not misuse the liberty in any manner and he should fully cooperate with the proceedings pending before the high court.
The case involves a gang led by the accused for allegedly duping the complainant, a businessman from Rajasthan's Dausa district. The accused claimed to possess supernatural abilities to multiply cash through tribal rituals and mystical procedures.
According to the prosecution, the complainant was experiencing losses in business and a person got in touch with his son and introduced him to an individual whom he referred to as Narendra Meena alias Rajesh Meena.
In 2018, Meena claimed himself to be a tribal and that his parents attained mystical powers to double money through rituals.
Meena made an arrangement wherein he will take 30 percent from the profit and accordingly the complainant and his family took Rs 70 lakhs to the gang on the fateful day. Meena promised to double and deliver Rs 1.40 crore.
The ritual went for over two hours at Gerota village in Dausa. The complainant and his family were unaware that they had walked into a trap. Fake police officers arrived at the spot on jeeps and the accused collected the money kept for the ritual, asking the complainant and his family to leave the spot from the back gate of the premises and return after the police had left.
After a few minutes, the accused told the complainant that the police team seized the money and they should run if they wanted to save their lives. The accused along with unknown villagers attacked the complainant and his family, who ran away from the spot.
After this, an FIR was registered, accused were identified, chargesheeted and tried. The police found that the real name of accused, Narendra Meena alias Rajesh Meena, is Santosh Meena. The trial court, after considering testimonies and evidence, found the accused guilty of cheating and loot/robbery and sentenced him to a maximum of seven years imprisonment apart from fine.
The accused moved before the Rajasthan High Court, which refused to suspend the sentence of the accused Santosh Meena, after noting that he was found involved in four other cases.
Santosh Meena, through his advocate Namit Saxena, approached the Supreme Court seeking suspension of his sentence during pendency of appeal. The apex court heard arguments concerning the nature of the offence, the circumstances of the accused, and the evidence presented during the trial.
“The impugned order dated April 30, 2025, passed by the High Court of Judicature for Rajasthan Bench at Jaipur shall stand set aside. Accordingly, the appeal is allowed”, said the apex court.
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