The Uttarakhand government’s special initiative, Operation Kalanemi, has so far resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals accused of posing as babas, cheating people, and attempting to convert them to another religion. Police have questioned over 5,500 people across the state, and 1,182 individuals have been subjected to preventive action as part of the operation.

Inspector General of Police (Crime and Law and Order) Nilesh Anand Bharane said the operation began in July and has been highly effective. In August, 300 people were arrested after questioning 4,000 individuals in various districts.

The police have conducted checks in districts including Haridwar, Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Almora, and Nainital. In Haridwar, authorities checked 2,704 people and arrested three, while in Dehradun, 922 people were checked and five were taken into custody. Some of the arrested are Bangladeshi citizens who had been living in India using fake documents.

One of the arrested individuals, Amit Kumar, had lived in Selaqui for eight years posing as a Bengali doctor with falsified documents. Another, Ifraz Ahmed Lolu from Anantnag, Kashmir, was arrested for deceiving women by hiding his religion and pretending to be a wealthy Delhi resident named Raj Ahuja.

IGP Bharane said the main goal of the operation is to protect the spiritual reputation of Uttarakhand, also known as Devbhoomi, by preventing fraud and deceit. The operation is named after Kalanemi, a demon from Hindu epics who disguised himself as a sadhu to stop Lord Hanuman from collecting the Sanjeevani Booti. In later tales, Kalanemi is reborn as Kansa, the uncle of Lord Krishna.

Officials have said the campaign will continue across the state to identify fake babas, prevent cheating, and ensure that the religious and cultural sanctity of Uttarakhand is preserved.