Fake bank office used to dupe Dahod jeweller of Rs 28.6 lakh worth of gold; 3 held

Dahod: The Dahod Local Crime Branch (LCB) has arrested three men for allegedly cheating a gold merchant of 200 grams of gold biscuits worth Rs. 28.60 lakh by operating a fake office in the name of Utkarsh Small Finance Bank. Police have recovered the entire stolen property along with the vehicle used in the crime.

According to police, the incident took place between July 15 and 16, when the accused rented an office in Hall No. 3 on the second floor of The Landmark building on Godhra Road and posed as representatives of Utkarsh Small Finance Bank.

The accused allegedly approached the owner of Mahavir Jewellers in Netaji Bazar and claimed they wanted to procure gold biscuits for donation during the Rath Yatra. After gaining the jeweller’s confidence, they ordered 200 grams of 24-carat gold biscuits, 10 biscuits of 10 grams each and two biscuits of 50 grams each, worth Rs. 28.60 lakh.

After collecting the gold, the accused handed the jeweller a bag purportedly containing part of the payment. On opening it, the bag was found to be filled with A4-sized paper sheets. The accused claimed the remaining payment was being arranged. While the jeweller waited inside the office, they fled through a rear exit.

Following the registration of an FIR, LCB Police Inspector D.M. Dhol and his team launched an investigation. Using CCTV footage from the Netram Command and Control Centre, along with technical surveillance and human intelligence, the police tracked a suspicious Maruti Suzuki car bearing registration number RJ03CC7323 entering Gujarat from the Rajasthan border.

Acting on the information, the police laid a trap near Dhavadiya village and intercepted the vehicle, arresting the three accused.

The arrested men have been identified as Deepak Singh Rajput, Lalit Kumar Dayashankar Rathod and Adil alias Laden Wahid Makrani.

Police seized property worth Rs. 38.80 lakh, including the entire 200 grams of stolen gold worth Rs. 28.60 lakh, Rs. 5,590 in cash, three mobile phones worth Rs. 15,000, and a Maruti Suzuki car valued at Rs. 10 lakh.

Police said the swift investigation enabled the recovery of the entire stolen property, and further legal proceedings are underway against the accused. DeshGujarat