Bengaluru, June 12 -- A bizarre case of alleged cheating and theft under the guise of religious rituals has been reported from Bengaluru, where a woman and her associate are accused of decamping with gold jewellery worth several lakhs after convincing a family that a special puja was necessary to avert a life-threatening danger.

The Whitefield Police have registered an FIR against Naveeda Banu and Parvez based on a complaint filed by Moin Pasha, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar, and launched an investigation into the incident.

According to the complaint, Moin Pasha, a software professional working in a private company, had helped Naveeda Banu get admitted to a hospital on May 23 following a request from a friend. During their interaction, N...