Kautilya's Arthashastra 5.2.41

5.2.41

manuṣyakaraṃ vā vṛkṣe rakṣobhayaṃ prarūpayitvā siddhavyañjanāḥ paurajānapadānāṃ hiraṇyena pratikuryuḥ //

Or by causing a false panic owing to the arrival of an evil spirit on a tree in the city, wherein a man is hidden making all sorts of devilish noises, the king's spies, under the guise of ascetics, may collect money (with a view to propitiate the evil spirit and send it back).