Police and trading standards officials set out to tackle the scourge of 'spiritual healers' such as Karamba Tunkara last year after they claimed a big scalp in the form of a con artist who fleeced his victims for more than £600,000.
Mohammed Ashrafi, who called himself Kamal-Ji, tricked people into believing he was a holy man who could help them win the lottery – as long as they gave him tens of thousands of pounds.
Like Karamba Tunkara, Ashrafi took money from his victims by making a series of outrageous promises to them.
Police and trading standards said con artists such as Tunkara and Ashrafi are still operating in the city.
Officials warned that tricksters advertise in foreign language newspapers or by putting business cards through letterboxes or leaving them on car windscreens.
Many claim to be able to use prayer to lift curses, heal broken marriages and solve financial problems.
Others say they can cure illnesses, including cancer and HIV.
Community leaders helped officials to spread the word across the city that the faith healers' claims should not be believed.
Leaflets were produced in various languages and we continue to distribute them in areas where these services have been advertised.
Ashrafi, 51 from Leicester, was jailed for nine years in February last year after he was convicted of 15 offences of fraud and one of blackmail, chiefly against families in Leicestershire.
He was back in court at the end of 2016 for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
A hearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court saw his original nine-year prison sentence extended by five years as he had not paid back £613,500 conned from his victims. However, the additional sentence will not be served if Ashrafi pays the cash.The court has heard previously he has extensive assets, including property and land, overseas, chiefly in India.
