Gang selling ‘Mughal-era gold’ bricks busted in Haryana’s Nuh, 2 arrested

Two members of the gang were arrested near the Nuh bus stand on Wednesday evening. Police said that the gang of five members has duped more than 200 people in the last two years and are history sheeters.

The Nuh police arrested two members of the ‘Tatlu Gang’ who allegedly conned people from other states by luring them on the pretext of selling them gold bricks from the Mughal era, found while excavating the grounds near havelis in Mewat and Rajasthan.

The so-called ‘Mughal-era gold’ brick that was being sold by a gang in Haryana’s Nuh. (HT Photo)

The accused, identified as Sadam, alias Sada, and Asgar, alias Pola, were arrested near the Nuh bus stand on Wednesday evening. The police said the gang members contacted a 50-year-old farmer from Bihar to sell the fake gold brick at half the market price, by projecting the same as genuine gold. After realising that he had been duped, the farmer decided to play along and led the two into the police net.

“I came to Nuh on December 2 and met three members of the gang, who picked me from the bus stand and took me through a non-motorable road to a nearby village where they introduced me to two others. They took out a gold brick wrapped in a torn and smelly cloth and said the cost of the brick is ₹35 lakh but they would sell it to me for ₹10 lakh,” said Ramashish Mandal, a resident of Darbhanga in Bihar.

They offered him a small piece of the ‘gold’ brick despite him not being interested to get it checked, as he said he has knowledge of gold and believed it to be genuine, according to the police.

“They asked me not to expose it to sunlight for 21 days. I agreed and bought a portion for ₹2.5 lakh and returned home. As I was in hurry, I did not wait for 21 days and rushed to a village jeweller to melt the brick and make ornaments for my daughter’s marriage. I was shocked when he told me that it was all brass,” said Mandal.

The farmer did not discuss the incident with his family but continued to remain in touch with the gang members over the next two weeks. He told them that he wanted to buy the remaining portion and requested them to sell it for ₹2 lakh.

On December 18, Mandal contacted the Nuh police and narrated the events, following which a trap was laid and police officers in civil dress were deployed near the bus stand.

Abbas Khan, inspector, crime investigation agency, Nuh, said the gang members asked him to meet at the same spot and reached there on a motorcycle. They took him along towards Ferozepur Zirka village and we followed them. “They stopped the motorbike on the outskirts of the village and we caught them,” said Khan.

The accused were produced at a court on Thursday and were sent to police custody. Police have recovered the motorcycle and ₹75,000 from their possession.

A case under was registered sections 420 (fraud), 506(criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code at the Nuh police station on December 18.

Rajesh Duggal, the superintendent of police, Mewat, said that the gang of five members has duped more than 200 people in the last two years and are history sheeters. “They have admitted having cheated people from Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha and have revealed the names of three more gang members who are absconding,” said Duggal.

Modus Operandi

The gang members bought data of mobile phone numbers from agents in Delhi, Jaipur and Rajasthan. They called the numbers at random, claiming to be labourers or farmers who dig up land for construction of a building or a well. They further told the people that while digging, they found a gold brick weighing between 700 and 800 grams wrapped in a torn, old cloth and that it seemed to be from the Mughal era. They used to say that it was dangerous for people of their means to be in possession of a small gold mine. They just wanted to get rid of the gold, even if it was at half the market rate, the police said.

They generally told the customers that they were selling the gold for a rate below the market value because they were poor and feared police action.