3 arrested for cheating jewellers mortgaging ornaments with fake gold hallmark signs

Acting on a tip-off to police havaldar Nitin Mundhe of the crime branch, a team led by assistant police inspector Madan Kamble, laid a trap and nabbed the three accused at Khandve Nagar in Wagholi on August 18.

Police recovered cash of Rs 3 lakh in cash along with their cell phones and some jewellery with fake gold hallmarks from their possession. A probe revealed that the accused have duped at least four jewellery shops in the city by mortgaging and selling them fake gold ornaments in the last few months.

Subsequently, four separate FIRs were registered against them at the Chandan Nagar, Kalepadal, Parvati and Ambegaon police stations.

Police said in February this year, one of the accused persons allegedly went to the Hanuman Jewellers in Hadapsar area saying he wanted money by mortgaging gold. He deposited a neck chain and bracelet carrying “22 carat 916 hallmark” at the jewellery shop and took a mortgage loan of Rs 2.25 lakh against it. When the shop owners checked the ornaments under machines, it was found to be fake gold jewellery with fraudulent hallmarks, police said.

The accused similarly duped Salunkhe Jewellers in Ambegaon Khurd to the tune of Rs 1 lakh and Nandadeep jewellers in Dattawadi of Rs 1.4 lakh using the same method.

Police said in the last month, the accused duped Sawanliya Jewellers in Wadgaon Sheri of Rs 85,000 by mortgaging a chain with fake gold hallmark. The accused also came back to the same shop again saying they wanted to sell a gold bracelet with a 22 carat hallmark. In exchange for the bracelet, they took a gold chain of Rs 1.13 lakh from the sop and left the place.

The jewellery shop owner later came to know that the chain and bracelet given by the accused persons were not made of gold and carried fake hallmark signs, police said.

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