Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Aug 6: There have always been some people in the society, who keep looking for ways to encash weaknesses of others and cheat them for getting some benefit out of it. An incident which occurred in Parkala exemplifies the way in which a person duped parents of a sick child by posing as an accomplished doctor, and claiming connections with Dharmasthala, a temple which is looked upon with reverence by people of the region.

In some cases, hearts of terrorists melt when they come across helpless people. But in this case, the perpetrators encashed helplessness of parents, who have been fervently trying to heal their child and also their belief in Dharmasthala.

Dharmasthala is a holy name for many Hindu families spread over several districts of coastal Karnataka and their neighbouring districts since ages. The family of Sunil in Parkala near Manipal has been distressed because of the fact that the health of their child is not good since the day it was born. Even after it was treated with different methods, the child continues to be weak mentally and physically.

The dying hopes of the couple got kindled when suddenly a person approached them with an offer to cure the child. With his tantalizing talk, the visitor convinced the parents of the child into believing that he is a gifted doctor, and extracted Rs 15,000 from them as cost of Ayurveda Panchakarma treatment.

Before setting out in search of gullible people, it has transpired, that he had made enquiries at a Manipal hotel about mentally retarded children in the area in the name of conducting some survey. He then visited the above family, and claimed that he supplies medicines to the treatment centre at Dharmasthala. Nitin, father of the child, took a snap of the car in which the man arrived. The parents, who have already spent lacs of rupees on treating their son, who is six years old now, readily trusted this guest and made the payment.

After the man left, the couple tried to contact him on the number provided in his visiting card, but this phone has been switched off. Sunil has since filed a complaint in Manipal police station about this incident. The police have launched an investigation into the incident, which has come as another eye opener for people who blindly trust strangers.