Rajasthan man dupes jeweller of ₹43 lakh, held
However, in August, Bhopa mortgaged 54 idols of deities, which he claimed to be made of gold. “Since Bhopa comes with his family every time and paid off the mortgages before time on all four occasions, Jain trusted him blindly and gave ₹43 lakhs,” said Bansal
MUMBAI: A man from Rajasthan was arrested for allegedly cheating a Kandivali-based jeweller of ₹43 lakh by mortgaging idols of deities claiming to be made of gold.
According to the Charkop police, the man had approached the jeweller with a few men, a woman and a child, claiming to be from the same family. “The men were related and part of a gang, but the woman and the child were hired and brought from Rajasthan,” said Ajay Bansal, deputy commissioner of police (zone 11).
Bansal said that the accused, Jitendra Sundar Bhopa, 29, had mortgaged small amounts of gold with jeweller Kamlesh Mangilal Jain, 46, four times and had established trust.
However, in August, Bhopa mortgaged 54 idols of deities, which he claimed to be made of gold. “Since Bhopa comes with his family every time and paid off the mortgages before time on all four occasions, Jain trusted him blindly and gave ₹43 lakhs,” said Bansal.
On August 29, when Jain checked the idols, he found out that they were not made of gold. Jain then approached the police, and a cheating case was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The police then tracked Bhopa’s mobile phone location and found him in Alwar, Rajasthan. The officers then took a photo of Bhopa from the CCTV of the jewellery store and sent a team to Rajasthan.
“We have arrested Bhopa and are on the lookout for his accomplices. We are also trying to find out how many more jewelers Bhopa and his gang have cheated,” Bansal said.
