UP home guards among six arrested for duping investor of ₹35 lakh

The 35-year-old victim was first spun a story that a jewellery showroom owner on MG Road in Sector 28 was in dire need of money

Six persons, including three home guards of Uttar Pradesh Police, were arrested for allegedly cheating a Delhi based stock market investor of ₹35 lakh by providing him ornaments at a discounted rate and then seizing the items during a bogus vehicle checking they enacted on MG Road in Sector 28 on August 31, senior officers of Gurugram police said on Thursday.

Police said a crime branch team led by inspector Sandeep Kumar arrested suspects Arvind Kumar, Gulbir Singh and Sansar Pal, all home guards, from Kurti in Meerut and Narender Singh from Iffco Chowk in the city on September 7. Mohammad Salim and Sundar Chaudhary were arersted from Paharganj in Delhi on September 10. (HT Photo)

Investigators said the victim, 35-year-old victim Manmohan Chauhan, a resident of Jafrabad, Delhi, was first spun a story that a jewellery showroom owner on MG Road in Sector 28 was in dire need of money and was ready to sell ornaments worth ₹40 lakh for ₹35 lakh.

Police said no such showroom existed.

Investigators said Chauhan believed the story and purchased the gold at the discounted price of ₹35 lakh.

Police said Chauhan was brought to a restaurant at a mall on MG Road on August 31 from where the three suspects took ₹35 lakh cash from him and handed him over a bag containing ornaments. The suspects asked Chauhan to accompany them in a car to the showroom for checking the jewellery, said police.

While in the car, the gang got their members to pose as policemen carrying out vehicle checking on MG Road. They stopped Chauhan on the pretext of a search and “seized” the gold in his car, besides asking him to flee to avoid legal consequences.

Police said a crime branch team led by inspector Sandeep Kumar arrested suspects Arvind Kumar, Gulbir Singh and Sansar Pal, all home guards, from Kurti in Meerut and Narender Singh from Iffco Chowk in the city on September 7. Mohammad Salim and Sundar Chaudhary were arersted from Paharganj in Delhi on September 10.

Police said Chauhan came in contact with Singh almost two years ago. Two months ago, he told Chauhan that a person named “Sharma” owned a jewellery showroom and was ready to sell ornaments as he was in dire need of money.

Subhash Boken, public relations officer, Gurugram police, said, “Sharma was none other than Salim. He and Singh have six similar cases against them in Delhi.”

Boken said four suspects, including the three home guards in uniform, intercepted them on the pretext of checking the vehicle on MG Road.

“The guards told Chauhan to flee if he wanted to escape legal consequences. In the meantime, they seized the bag containing ornaments,” he said.

Chauhan realised only later that he may have been duped and got an FIR registered against the suspects at DLF police station in Sector 29 on September 3. Police said one more suspect is yet to be arrested and attempts are on to recover the entire money.