Gujarat Crime Branch nabs accused in gold fraud case

Ahmedabad, Oct 16 (IANS) Gujarat Crime Branch on Wednesday nabbed the main accused and two accomplices involved in a major gold fraud case.

An official said that the accused had posed as a wealthy Sardar and defrauded a jeweller of 2,100 grams of gold biscuits by using fake currency notes featuring actor Anupam Kher’s photograph.

“The incident took place at Lakshmi Jewels on CG Road, where the accused managed to deceive the jeweller and flee with the gold. Out of the stolen 2,100 grams of gold, 1,800 grams have been recovered,” the official said.

He said that the accused visited the jewellery store on September 24 and expressed interest in purchasing gold.

“After gaining the trust of the jeweller, they arranged for the delivery of the gold biscuits at a fake office set up under the name of Patel Kantilal Madanlal & Company, an Angadiya firm,” he said.

He added that the delivery was made, and the payment was handed over in bundles of counterfeit notes featuring the image of Anupam Kher.

“Following the discovery of the fraud, a case was filed at Navrangpura Police Station under sections 316, 318, and 61 of the BNS Act,” he said.

The official added that the Crime Branch launched an investigation and deployed teams to track down the culprits.

“Using technical surveillance and intelligence, the main accused, Deepak Rajput, along with his accomplices Naren Yadav and Kapesh Mehta, was arrested. The police also recovered 1,800 grams of gold biscuits, estimated to be worth Rs 1,37,25,000,” he said.

He added that the investigation revealed that Deepak Rajput, who had disguised himself as a Sardar during the fraud, had multiple prior offences in Ahmedabad and Vadodara.

“His accomplice, Naren Yadav, helped him escape after the crime, while Kapesh Mehta was responsible for designing the counterfeit notes and fake bank documents used in the scheme,” he said.

The Crime Branch also seized mobile phones and other materials during the operation. Additionally, four other suspects, including Bhupesh Surti from Mumbai and Vijay Bhura from Rajasthan, are still at large. The police continue to track down the remaining culprits involved in the gold scam.