How I got 'scammed' in the name of Kainchi Dham, Neem Karori Baba

“Hum baba ke naam pe galat kaam nahi karte madam”. These words are going to stay with me for a long time. Also I have learned my lessons! Hi, I am Pragya (name changed) from Noida and this is my story, “How I was robbed off in the name of Neem Karori Baba”.You must be living under a rock if you haven't heard of Kainchi Dham or Baba Neem Karori. He was a revered saint from a small village who was a divine bhakta of Hanuman. Some even called him Lord Hanuman's avtar (reincarnation). So, Kainchi Dham is a beautiful ashram set in the serene Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand (some 25 km from Nainital). This revered spiritual sanctuary was founded in June 1962 by the mystic saint Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately known as Maharaj-ji.There is no doubt that over the years, the place has been attracting devotees in lakhs, including famous figures like Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, cricketer Virat Kohli and Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma, who sought spiritual guidance here. The ashram's natural ambiance, coupled with community service and spiritual practice, continues to inspire seekers worldwide.However, there was a time when only a handful of people knew about this place but thanks to social media and some eminent personalities, the ashram gained immense prominence over time.

Today, the ashram draws devotees from all over the world! But then, today, there are people/gangs who are duping/cheating/robbing people in the name of gods.The incident

My mother says, “Jab tak bulawa nahi aajata, koi aise divya sthan pe nahi pohoch sakta“ (You just don’t reach such divine places unless god calls (bulava) you himself). After being duped, this is exactly what I thought and how my mom’s sentence stands right!I have been planning to visit the divine Kainchi Dham for a long time now. One fine day, I started searching for guesthouses and hotels to stay in Neem Karori and that’s when I found this particular website called ‘Kainchi Dham Neeb Karoli Baba Aashram’.

The website looked quite authentic and had pictures of the rooms and some good reviews from guests who previously stayed there.Without any further doubt, I immediately called on the number mentioned on the website. A man named Pankaj Maharaj received the call. He introduced himself as a receptionist from the reception office and offered me a family room at INR 4500 (inclusive of a three-course meal, free parking and GST). He also said that the temple is only 20 m away from there. I found the rates reasonable and the man also sounded authentic and kept calling himself ‘Baba ka bhakt’.

Still I took my time and researched a bit more. Two days later, I called him again and said to share the address of his property. He shared the location information of the Kainchi Dham ashram listed on the internet. I called him again to ask about the actual location to which he said that the ashram is inside the temple premises so the address is the same. He managed to convince me and I in the name of god did not want to argue further.He then asked me to share an ID card and shared a QR code on my personal Whatsapp. Excited me, shared the ID and paid INR 4500. Soon after making the payment, I got a call from the same receptionist.He said, “Mam aapne galat payment kar di hai, aapko dobara same amount pay karna padega and within 10 minutes aapki booking confirm hojaegi and first payment wapas aajegi.”

I got confused and asked him to share my booking details immediately with me to which he said he can’t because of incorrect payment. He kept insisting on a second payment. Till now, I was trying to understand what was happening but soon I understood that I have been scammed!I tried opening their website but it was taken down within seconds and the Whatsapp number also stopped working.

By now it was confirmed that they were scammers who have been looting innocents. I registered a cyber complaint, and called my bank immediately. The customer care after a brief bank account research informed me that the account belongs to a Mumbai branch.

I started researching and found there have been more such incidents in the past in the name of Neeb Karori Baba. There was a gang from Rajasthan who was duping people with the assurance of staying in the ashram.Weeks after, I am still getting updates but I know I will not get back my hard-earned money. And there must be hundreds of people just like me who have been forged and are waiting for justice and their money.