‘Spiritual guru’ held for fraud

Panchkula: Raipur Rani Police have arrested a self-styled spiritual guru for allegedly cheating a man of nearly Rs 10 lakh on the pretext of facilitating cutting of khair trees. The accused has been identified as Krishna Nand alias Ashwani Kumar, a resident of Bhoj Ponta in Panchkula.According to police, Krishna Nand, along with his associate Amit of Ambala, allegedly duped complainant Harshit Singla of Yamunanagar in 2021. The complainant was told that a piece of land was free of disputes and suitable for khair tree cutting. Based on this assurance, he paid a substantial amount through cash and cheques.Later, it emerged that the land was under a stay order of the Punjab and Haryana high court, and the forest department had not granted any permission for tree cutting. Following this, an FIR was registered on Feb 16, 2025.During investigation, police seized agreement papers, bank statements and other relevant records. The accused had been absconding for a long time and avoided appearing before investigators despite notices.On March 20, police arrested him from Kharar, Punjab. During interrogation, he claimed the money had been hidden in Neelkanth and Haridwar (Uttarakhand). Efforts are underway to arrest his associate Amit. A court granted a three-day police remand for further questioning. MSID:: 129720504 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with EId ul fitr 2026 wishes, messages and quotes !