Who Won the Week (15 November 2020)

I always liked Fandango’s Who Won the Week post, and like to join in with some quirky stories from my own newsfeeds. All from our unique vantage points, the idea is to pick something (a person, organisation, anything) which “won” the week.

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Health? Wealth? Good fortune? We all want some of that, right?

This is exactly what was promised to Laeek Khan, a doctor, yes DOCTOR, in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India – when fraudsters sold Dr Khan an ALADIN’S LAMP.

Somebody would have to be really dumb to fall for that, I hear you think. Yes, I can hear you think! But to seal the deal, one of the two fraudsters rubbed the lamp, while the other appeared to Dr Khan as a very convincing genie!

The fraudsters eventually sold the lamp to Dr Khan for 15 million rupees, about USD 200,000, but Khan only parted with a downpayment of $40,000 before he got suspicious and called the police. Police arrested two suspects, with a third still at large.

The thing I found most hilarious about the incident is that the police are quoted as believing that several other families have been similarly affected. Presumably they, at least, had the good sense to be too embarrassed to come forward?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-54759863