Stupid Is As Stupid Does (Updated Below)

About a month ago, Bubs had a post on a person named Aslam Jinnah, who claimed to be the great-grandson of Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Of course, it turned out to be a scam and much laughter ensued.

Well, I see your fake great-grandson, and raise you a fake associate.

Over in Mumbai, a 29-year old man named Aijaz Mehboob Khan claimed to be an associate of Gandhi. No, not the new ones. The original. The vinyl. Mahatma friggin Gandhi. Again, the dude is 29.

Anyway, after claiming that he was an associate of Gandhi's, he convinced people to give him money because he would invest it soundly in government contracts "for maintaining computers". Laypeople, interpreting Aijaz's close relationship to Gandhi as constituting evidence that this was a good idea, happily obliged and gave him a total of 50 lakh rupees between ten victims.

By the way, you may be wondering how a 29 year-old man managed to convince people that he was an associate of Gandhi's given, um, the age difference. Here's how: he showed people the picture below, and if the picture didn't do the job, the brilliant caption surely did.


In case you can't read the caption, it says "Mumbai: Congress President Mahatma Gandhi and the President of Azad Hind Party Aijaz Khan together in the rally at Mumbai Azad Maidan. And after the rally they went to meet General Bob for discussing about the arrest of Bhagat."

Ok, now for the obvious questions:

1. They were ten victims and 50 lakh rupees proferred (for Westerners, that's about $100,000). That means each victim was certainly not poor, and it probably means that they weren't uneducated. So I guess my question is: what are they teaching in Indian schools? And shouldn't their curricula now include Intro to Photoshop?

2. Um, what the fuck?

3. If you're going to set up a con like this, and insert a picture of yourself standing next to Gandhi despite the fact that you were born three decades after Gandhi died, shouldn't you at least try to make the caption grammatically correct?

4. No, seriously, what the fuck?

5. Are these the same people who respond to the bank account emails from Nigeria? If yes, how do they have money left to invest? If not, what is the difference between the two groups?

(link via India Uncut)

UPDATE: One additional question. Shouldn't residents of Mumbai know that in 1945, their city was called "Bombay"?

UPDATE II: Reader Tan suggested a photoshopping competition with the original image, which I'm reproducing below.


Now, I'm not very good with computer/technological stuff, but here's the best I could come up with:


If you want in on the competition, email me at fiverupeesadminATgooglegroupsDOTcom with your work and I'll put it up if it meets our high standards of photo doctoring. No viruses please, thanks.

UPDATE III: Here's Tan's work. It's a slightly more sophisticated attempt than mine.


Someone should try one with a fake headline like the Times of India thing by our friend Aijaz Mehboob Khan.

Here's an attempt by reader Arataster:


Here's NB's entry:
(Updated by NB): This one is by the Caffeinist. Oddly, I find Pam & Gandhi more unnervingthan Winehouse & Gandhi. With Winehouse, he comes across as as a faith healer at a press conference with a tough patient, whearas with Pam, he looks ecstatic with his score. Also, disturbingly, she's dressed herself up like a ship captain for him.


UPDATE IV: Tan is now just rubbing it in our faces, sending multiple entries to cement his position as King of the Gandhi Photoshop. Here's his second entry:


Here's an entry by reader llamapeople. By the way, I haven't had a haircut in a few months so I don't really look like this anymore.