By Tim Binnall
Police in Nepal were forced to intervene after a self-proclaimed psychic healer drew hundreds of people hoping to have their ailments cured by way of his purported powers. According to a local media report, the weird incident occurred on Sunday morning outside of a temple in the community of Dang. At the center of the case is an individual named Bharat Bhattarai, who goes by the moniker "Simanta KC." Having previously gone viral on social media in the country by way of his alleged healing abilities, the 'mystic' had sparked something of a frenzy when he announced plans to provide comfort to anyone who could attend the event that day.
In response, around 300 people made their way to Dang for the gathering with some going so far as to arrive a day early and stay at a hotel so that they could be first in line to be cured of whatever ails them. Seeing the throng of people assembling outside of the temple, cops quickly swooped in and dispersed the crowd. Although they explained that the intervention was because Bhattarai's had not obtained permission to hold the event, one official indicated that their actions were largely due to their belief that the healer is a fraud. “People had gathered in large numbers, lured by Bhattarai’s promise to cure them by simply touching them or looking at them," Rajan Kumar Gautam said, "he was spreading misinformation in the name of curing people.”
While it would appear that the abrupt ending to the event prevented any money from changing hands, it is believed that this was Bhattarai's intention as he had previously held a similar gathering back in March wherein he charged attendees for his 'help' and was then subsequently arrested for the scheme. The two incidents were just the latest in what sounds like a rather colorful history for the 'mystic' as a man from his home village revealed that "Bhattarai previously served more than a year in jail after being charged with duping people under the pretext of sending them abroad on foreign employment." Alas, after the 'healer' was sent on his way by police in Dang, he simply set up shop in the city of Nepalgunj, where one presumes that he is already dreaming up his next misadventure.