Gang that duped people in the name of cheap gold busted, 7 arrested

Navi Mumbai Crime Branch busts gang of 7 who lured buyers on social media with fake gold offers, executing deals with false police raids, robbing ₹13 lakh.

NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai Crime Branch has busted a gang of seven who allegedly lured customers through social media with lucrative offers to purchase gold below the market rate.

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The modus operandi of the group was to lure potential buyers through advertisements on social networking sites like Facebook, highlighting the sale of gold biscuits at lesser than the market rate.

“Once a potential buyer contacts them, multiple meetings are held between them. This was done to gain the trust of the buyers, and finally a place was fixed to execute the deal,” said a police officer.

The final stage of the plan also had a false police raid wherein the buyer was assaulted, kidnapped and looted.

“On the day of executing the deal, the potential buyer waiting at the fixed spot is caught by surprise when a team of ‘policemen’ dressed in civil clothes arrive in a car. Armed with police lathis, they then proceed to seize the cash brought to purchase the gold,” the officer said.

The scam was unearthed after a complaint was lodged with the Kharghar police. Complainant Ravindra Chaudhary, 50, was robbed of ₹13 lakh after being promised 200 grams of gold biscuits.

He was told by a close friend named Sunil Ingale about the gold being sold at below-the-market rates. “The discounted rate attracted the complainant who runs a jewellery store in Mulund,” said the police officer.

When Chaudhary went to meet the gang on June 26 in Kharghar, he was abducted from the spot and robbed. “While investigating the case, we did reverse tracking and found the source of the accused and traced them,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime branch), Amit Kale.

A bike used in the crime was found to be recovered by a finance company, which lead the police to the owner Raj alias Mohammad Asif Mohammad Galib Shaikh (40), a resident of Kurla. After his arrest, the other six members of the gang were traced and nabbed.

They have been identified as Vishal Bajirao Tupe (21), Rohit Rajaram Shelar (26), Nilesh Balu Bange (26), Shivaji Maruti Chikane (36), Vishal Ganpat Chorge (36) and Diler Sajid Khan (46).

It was found out during the investigations that the accused had committed similar crimes in Govandi, Sanpada, Panvel and Bhiwandi. They have been handed over to Kharghar police till July 12.