4 held for duping people on pretext of selling 'magic potion'

Four persons, who used to sell a "magic potion" to people telling them this can turn a black paper to currency notes, were arrested from a remote village in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district, police said today.
The four members of a gang, which had allegedly duped at least four persons of Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, were yesterday apprehended from Pillankata village, City SP Vivek Syiem said.
The accused were identified as Nirbhay Rabha and Samsul Ali of Boko in Assam and Jefferson Lakiang and Shiela Marbaniang, hailing from here.
They made the buyers believe that a black paper would turn to currency notes when the potion is used on it, he said.

Their modus operandi was to take a genuine currency note coated with an Iodide solution making the note black in colour. Then they would use the potion, Sodium Thiosulphate, to remove the blackness of the note and it would appear to the buyer that a black paper has been turned into a currency note.
Syiem said they would demonstrate this to prospective buyers, usually found by the arrested woman.
Police seized 12 notes of Rs 500 denomination coated with Iodide solution, eight mobile phones, two four-wheelers and the "magic potion".
A probe has been launched to find the extent of their crime and arrest others involved in the racket, the officer said.