Three foreign nationals apprehended on Tuesday for running a psychic service in the Maldives are set to be deported to their home country.
In a post on X on Wednesday afternoon, Maldives Immigration said that the trio – all of them Indian nationals – were apprehended for engaging in unauthorized astrology practices in an operation carried out in collaboration with the police on Tuesday.
They were identified as:
Dhananjay Bailapati, 18
Nagaraja Bailpati, 39
Sreehari Vanam, 25
“The deportation process is now underway,” said Immigration.
On Tuesday, the police confirmed they had opened an investigation after a purported Hindu guru who goes by the name Master Durga Rao Guruji began offering psychic services in the Maldives.
The service, being run out of a Facebook page, appears to have begun advertising psychic services in the Maldives on January 10.
The services advertised through the page includes palm reading, face reading, black magic removal and horoscope reading.
It also claims to offer solutions for relationship problems and health issues.
Sun was able to contact the service through the contact number listed in the page. The person who picked up the call identified himself as ‘Master’, and said he was staying in Hulhumale’.
He said that he was offering services for a fee of MVR 300.
The police said on Tuesday that it is important that people report such activities that go against the cultural and religious values of Maldivians to the police as soon as possible instead of sharing it among each other so that authorities can take proper legal action without delay.
The police asked the public to report such advertisements as soon as possible.