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Aladin in the Walt Disney variant
Photo: © Walt Disney Co./ Courtesy Everet / ddp / Everett Collection
In the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, two men have to stand trial for fraud.
They are accused of selling a lamp to a doctor, which was supposed to bring wealth and health.
As in the fairy tale "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp", the lamp should be able to conjure up a helpful spirit.
According to reports in Indian media, the resourceful sellers are said to have initially asked for 15,000,000 Indian rupees, around 171,940 euros, for the supposedly magical item.
But they could have been negotiated down to 3,310,000 rupees, around 37,941 euros.
Brainwashing with pseudo-mind
The buyer later - apparently disappointed with the quality of the product - filed a complaint with the local police in Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh.
According to the broadcaster NDTV, the doctor had treated the alleged mother of the fraudsters for over a month.
The sons had repeatedly told him about the ghost in the lamp that had allegedly visited them at home.
"You have brainwashed me and asked me to meet this ghost," the cheated is quoted as saying.
"Aladdin" appeared to him during one of his visits - he only understood later that the "ghost" was one of the two deceivers who had disguised himself.
According to NDTV, the two lamp sellers are said to have cheated on other families in a similar way.
An accomplice is still fleeting
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