Indian doctor duped into paying $93,000 for 'Aladdin's lamp'

Two men who duped a doctor into buying an “Aladdin’s lamp” for $93,000 – and even conjured up a fake genie – have been arrested in India.

Laeek Khan approached police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh after he realised the lamp did not have any magical powers, as described in the popular folk tale about Aladdin and the wish-granting genie who appears when the lamp is rubbed.

“The cheats had struck a deal for much more but the doctor had paid about seven million rupees,” Amit Rai, a senior officer, told AFP.

He said the men were arrested on Thursday and remanded in custody. Charges have yet to be filed.

“The wife of one of these men was also involved in the fraud. She is on the run,” Mr Rai said.

In his complaint, lodged last Sunday, Dr Khan said one of the men pretended to be an occultist and made a jinn – a supernatural figure – appear from the lamp, local media reported.

But when the doctor asked to touch the genie or take the lamp home, they refused, saying it might cause him harm, the complaint stated.

Eventually they sold the lamp to him, promising it would bring health, wealth and good fortune.

Dr Khan said he later realised the genie was actually one of the men in disguise.

“The men have also cheated other families using the same modus operandi. The total amount of money involved runs into several million rupees,” Mr Rai said.