Five men who claimed they could solve any problem through supernatural powers and genies they had “domesticated” have been arrested by Bangladesh’s elite security force, an official said Wednesday.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) took the five into custody in a day-long operation on Tuesday after they were accused of swindling people out of large sums of money, captain Rezaul Karim said.
“Every day, these genie-powered godmen place ads in the newspapers claiming they can solve any problem on earth through supernatural powers and genies that they have captured and ‘domesticated,'” Karim said.
“They took large amounts of money from jilted lovers promising they would bring back the ones they love. They claim to have power to reunite separated couples in just 72 hours, win lotteries as far away as in Germany or boost sexual powers,” he said.
The RAB, the country’s top security force, which is normally assigned to fight Islamic terrorists or top Maoist outlaws, stormed dens of other alleged godmen, but many had gone into hiding, Karim said.
The so-called godmen have been flourishing in impoverished Bangladesh, and some of them have millions of followers. The arrests marked the first time the government has sought to rein in their activities.
The emergency government ruling Bangladesh has vowed to stamp out corruption before it holds national elections by the end of the year.
