Fake Healers Exploit Asian Community
On 10th August 2009 www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk carried an article about unscrupulous “healers” who make a good living by preying on Leicester’s Asian community.Bogus 'healers' target vulnerable victims
Faith leaders in Leicester have called on people to turn their backs on bogus 'healers' who claim to cure cancer and lift curses – at a cost of thousands of pounds.
They spoke out as Leicester City Council announced a campaign to track down the con artists and warn them to stay out of the city.
An unknown number of tricksters are operating in the city, advertising in foreign language newspapers or by putting business cards through letterboxes.
This is a useful reminder that fake healers still use old-fashioned methods such as business cards. I wonder how many of these never come to the attention of Trading Standards?
Community leaders in the city said vulnerable people were handing over jewellery and thousands of pounds to criminals for saying meaningless prayers or performing rituals for them.
Cases reported to them and to the city council, include men or women promising to use prayer to lift curses, heal broken marriages and solve financial problems.
Others say they can cure illnesses including cancer and HIV.
It is of course illegal for anyone to claim they can cure cancer. Sadly it isn’t illegal to make the same claim about HIV/AIDS.
Health service officials fear people could put their lives at risk by turning to a bogus healer instead of their GP.
Belgrave city councillor Manjula Sood said: "I have heard of people being asked for £500 and more for prayers or talismans. They think a curse will be placed on them if they refuse.
"When my husband died suddenly I was searching for answers and faced many challenges. But I didn't turn to people like this.
"One recently came to Leicester and took a room at a hotel where she charged clients £500 for 10-minute sessions."
Resham Singh Sandhu, chairman of the Sikh Welfare and Cultural Society, said the Sikh community was lobbying newspapers to drop healers' advertisements.
He said: "What these people are doing is exploitation.
"In Leicester, we are talking about them in the prayer halls. We are saying 'don't follow these people, they cannot help you, they are only after your money'."
John Fox, trading standards manager with Leicester City Council, said the unit tracked down five "healers" during a campaign two years ago.
The suspects were warned their activities were illegal and they appear to have stopped.
The team is now preparing another campaign later this year.
Mr Fox said: "This is not alternative therapy, it's mumbo-jumbo.
ParaWatch is delighted to hear that Trading Standards appear to have been successful, but we’re less than convinced by Mr Fox’s distinction between alternative therapy and mumbo-jumbo! However, we wholeheartedly support Mr Fox’s next statement:
"The real danger is that people who make these claims can stop people from seeing their doctors.
"We will be monitoring the relevant foreign language newspapers, having the adverts translated and contacting the people concerned.
"We'll also be looking at the cards going through people's doors."
Richard Chester, of NHS Leicester City, which provides health services, said it had contacted Trading Standards about the issue.
He said: "It is vital people make sure health information and advice is from a reputable source and we would encourage anyone with concerns to contact the NHS."
It’s good to know that at least one NHS authority is actively encouraging the public to contact them with concerns about bogus healing claims.
Leicestershire police are searching for a man called Ali Shah, who they believe tricked a Glasgow taxi driver into handing over £10,000 with the promise of making his wife love him again.
Information about Ali Shah can be passed in confidence to Pc Jim Mungovin on 0116 222 2222. Follow the instructions to leave a message for an officer and key in 0887 when prompted.
<-- Ali Shah
Sceptics often feel driven to despair by the media’s credulous attitude to all things paranormal, but ironically the BBC was instrumental in bringing Ali Shah to the attention of the police. Last year the Glasgow taxi-driver mentioned above, who wishes to be identified only as “Mohammed”, got in touch with BBC Scotland after being conned by the fake healer, who is also known as Shaheed Ikram and Khalid Rafique. Mohammed was tempted by a newspaper ad placed by “spiritual healer”, who claimed to be able to solve any problem within three days.
As is usually the case with bogus healers, the amount of money involved started off relatively small but gradually escalated. Mark Daly of BBC Scotland relates the full story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8165506.stm
All Mohammed had to do was send some personal items, including a lock of hair, a toenail and £130 in cash, by recorded delivery to a PO Box. During a six-month period, Shah, under the guise “Haji Imam”, persuaded Mohammed to hand over more than £10,000...
When Mohammed realised he had been conned, the so-called holy man turned nasty and threatened him. He recalled: “Haji Imam said to me, ‘I know you are a taxi-driver, if you don’t stop phoning me I can make an accident for you.’ I was scared.”
BBC Scotland then set an excellent example for the rest of the media. They traced the PO Box to Leicester and set about beating the trickster at his own game! Back to Mark Daly:
The BBC learned that Haji Imam was receiving packages almost every day to his PO Bos. BBC Scotland mounted a sting operation and enlisted the help of an Urdu-speaking colleague. Armed with a completely made-up scenario about her failure to conceive a male child, she called him up and soon he was offering to solve her imaginary fertility problem – for £480.
We sent him nothing, but traced the scam to two addresses in Leicester that he was using to channel the money through.
When the BBC turned up there was no-one home, but I managed to speak to him on the phone and he denied being a con-man.
We handed our dossier to the police, but Shah has since gone missing...(he) has links in Birmingham and London, but may have fled abroad.
Two men have been arrested in connection with the enquiry and released on police bail pending further inquiries.
Both Leicester Police and Trading Standards believe that there may be more victims who are too afraid or embarrassed to come forward. So, congratulations to Mark Daly, BBC Scotland...and Mohammed, without whose willingness to report this scam Ali Shah would still be raking in easy money from desperate people in Leicester.