Junagadh: The Junagadh Crime Branch has arrested a couple accused of cheating goldsmiths by passing off fake gold jewellery as genuine. The accused were apprehended near Vadodara following an intensive investigation, which revealed that they were involved in fraud cases reported from 56 cities across 15 states.

According to police, the couple would obtain original gold ornaments from jewellers and replace them with counterfeit jewellery made of mixed metals coated with a thin layer of gold.

The scam came to light on January 17, when a jeweller in Keshod was cheated and approached Junagadh Police with a complaint. Following similar complaints from other jewellers, the case was transferred to the Junagadh Crime Branch for further investigation.

The Crime Branch team employed technical surveillance and human intelligence to track the suspects. Police later received specific information that the couple was hiding near Vadodara. Acting swiftly, a team was dispatched, and the duo was arrested.

Police stated that the fake jewellery appeared genuine at first glance and even during laboratory testing. However, when the ornaments were melted, it was found that only around 30 percent gold was present, confirming the fraud.

Well-Planned Modus Operandi

Explaining the modus operandi, Junagadh Superintendent of Police Subodh Odedara said the gang operated in a highly systematic manner. The accused would prepare ornaments weighing about 30 grams, of which nearly 20 grams consisted of mixed metals. A gold coating of approximately 10 grams was applied using potash chemicals, making the jewellery appear pure and enabling the accused to deceive jewellers and exchange fake ornaments for genuine gold.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to cheating 56 jewellers across 13 districts of Gujarat and 15 states across the country using the same method.

Further investigation revealed that over the past two years, the accused had supplied nearly 900 grams of fake gold jewellery and fraudulently obtained around 900 grams of genuine gold ornaments in exchange.

The arrested duo also disclosed that they were operating under the instructions of Ravi Soni, a resident of Patna in Bihar, along with another associate from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The handlers allegedly paid the couple ₹7,000 per shop for carrying out the fraud.

Among the cities where jewellers were defrauded are Junagadh, Ahmedabad, and Surat, as well as Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh. In total, 56 jewellers across 15 states were cheated using identical methods.

Investigation Ongoing

The arrested accused have been handed over to Keshod Police Station for further legal proceedings. Efforts to recover the stolen jewellery are currently underway.

Junagadh Police have also informed police departments in other states through official communication. Authorities have appealed to jewellers who may have fallen victim to this modus operandi to come forward and file complaints so that strict legal action can be taken against all those involved. DeshGujarat