Thrissur: A self-styled godman accused of cheating people out of lakhs of rupees by selling fake gold bars while claiming they were sourced directly from a gold mine has been arrested by the police.

The accused, Shaji (61), a native of Madhavamangalam in Pathanamthitta district, is popularly known as "KGF Swami". He was arrested by the Thrissur Rural Police from a rented house at Uzhuvath Kadavu in Kodungallur.

According to police, Shaji allegedly duped several people by convincing them that the gold bars he was selling had been extracted from a gold mine and could be purchased at a discounted rate. Investigators suspect that he may have carried out similar frauds in different parts of the state using the same modus operandi.

The arrest was made based on confidential information received by Thrissur Rural District Police Chief B Krishna Kumar.

Police said Shaji is also an accused in another cheating case in which a fake gold Ganapathi idol was allegedly used to defraud victims. During a search of the rented house where he was staying, officers seized several fake gold items believed to have been used in the fraud.

Further investigation is being carried out under the supervision of Kodungallur DySP P Pramod.