India, July 14 -- The Uttarakhand government recently launched an operation to nab fake saints and sadhus in the state who allegedly cheated people, resulting in the arrest of 82 fake babas.

'Operation Kalanemi' was launched on Thursday after chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's directives to take strict action against those who exploited people's beliefs, said Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Singh.

After launching the campaign, CM Dhami had said, "Just as the 'asur' (demon) Kalanemi tried to mislead people by appearing as a saint, there are many such 'Kalanemis' in today's society who are committing crimes in the name of religion."

"Multiple teams have been formed, and action is being taken at locations where input...