A brazen Indian scammer has admitted stealing jewellery worth $150,000 from a woman he met at Sydney’s Darling Harbour by swapping out the valuables with a coconut during a fake prayer ritual.
Gursewak Singh, 25, pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtain property by deception in Blacktown Local Court on Monday where his lawyer said they were planning to file a mental health application.
The court heard that Singh approached his victim at Darling Harbour and introduced himself as a saint from the sacred Indian city of Haridwar on January 9, and the pair had a long conversation, swapped numbers, and met again over the next three weeks, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The pair would undergo a ritual prayer which involved the victim closing her eyes while Singh chanted and blessed her personal items.
Then in early February Singh told the woman she should offer more that the $20,000 in jewellery she wanted blessed, and she brought another $130,000 worth of gold and diamonds.
Singh travelled to her home to perform the hour-long ritual, but while the woman’s eyes were closed Singh swiped the valuables, hiding their missing weight with a coconut he brought with him, 7 News reported.
The woman went to police after discovering the theft, and went with her back to Darling Harbour where she was due to meet Singh again.
Singh told detectives he knew why he was being arrested and directed them to the stolen jewellery, which was stuffed in a shopping bag in his dorm at a city backpackers hostel.
The Indian national was supposed to return to his home country on February 6, but is on bail to face court again on March 10.
Header image: Left, Gureswak Singh (7 News). Right, Singh being arrested (NSW Police).
